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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>this is what will be portrayed in the
ballet.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><B>Act I</B></P>
<P><I>Scene 1: The Silberhaus Home</I></P>
<P>It is Christmas Eve. Family and friends have gathered in the parlor to
decorate the beautiful Christmas tree in preparation for the night's
festivities. Once the tree is finished, the younger children are sent for. The
children stand in awe of the tree sparkling with candles and decorations.</P>
<P>The festivities begin. A march is played. Presents are given out to the
children. Suddenly, as the owl-topped clock strikes eight, a mysterious figure
enters the room. It is Herr Drosselmeyer, a local councilman, magician, and
Clara and Fritz's godfather. He is also a talented toymaker who has brought with
him gifts for the children, including four lifelike dolls who dance to the
delight of all. Drosselmeyer then has the precious dolls put away for
safekeeping.</P>
<P>Clara and Fritz are sad to see the dolls taken away, but Drosselmeyer has yet
another toy for them: a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man,
used for cracking hazelnuts. The other children ignore it, but Clara immediately
takes a liking to it. Fritz, however, purposely breaks the toy. Clara is
heartbroken.</P>
<P>During the night, after everyone else has gone to bed, Clara returns to the
parlor to check on her beloved nutcracker. As she reaches the little bed, the
clock strikes midnight and she looks up to see Drosselmeyer perched atop the
clock in place of the owl. Suddenly, mice begin to fill the room and the
Christmas tree begins to grow to dizzying heights. The Nutcracker also grows to
life-size. Clara finds herself in the midst of a battle between an army of
Gingerbread man soldiers and the mice, led by the Mouse King. The mice begin to
eat the gingerbread soldiers.</P>
<P>The Nutcracker appears to lead the gingerbread soldiers, who are joined by
tin soldiers and dolls who serve as doctors to carry away the wounded. As the
Mouse King advances on the still-wounded Nutcracker, Clara throws her slipper at
him, distracting him long enough for the Nutcracker to stab him.</P>
<P><I>Scene 2</I>: A Pine Forest</P>
<P>The mice retreat and the Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome Prince. He
leads Clara through the moonlit night to a pine forest in which the snowflakes
dance around them.</P>
<P><B>Act II</B></P>
<P><I>Scene 1: The Land of Sweets</I></P>
<P>Clara and the Prince travel in a nutshell boat pulled by dolphins to the
beautiful Land of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Prince's place
until his return. The Prince recounts for the Sugar Plum Fairy how he had been
saved by Clara from the Mouse King and had been transformed back into a
Prince.</P>
<P>In honor of the young heroine, a celebration of sweets from around the world
is produced: chocolate from Spain, coffee from Arabia, and tea from China all
dance for their amusement; candy canes from Russia; Danish shepherdesses perform
on their flutes; Mother Gigogne has her children emerge from under her enormous
skirt to dance; a string of beautiful flowers perform a waltz. To conclude the
night, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier perform a dance.</P>
<P>A final waltz is performed by all the sweets, after which Clara and the
Prince are crowned rulers of The Land of Sweets. Soon, however, the people of
the land of the sweets begin to disappear one by one, until the Nutcracker
Prince himself disappears, and Clara is found sleeping in the parlor. The
Nutcracker Doll is under the Christmas tree. Clara awakes, thinking it was all a
dream, but then finds her crown sitting beside her, leading to question, was it
a dream? She walks to the Christmas tree and takes her Nutcracker, going back to
sleep</P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Many blessings,<BR>melissa and Pj<BR>At the center
of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you
want.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>