Nutcracker is ballet’s annual sugar rush – a gulp of delicious dance and Tchaikovsky’s music. Hitting the literal sweet spot between trashy and smugly tasteful can prove tricky, but English National Ballet’s new production – fun, cohesive and astoundingly pretty – delivers Quality Street levels of moreish pleasure.
It’s a collaboration between Aaron S Watkin, ENB’s artistic director, and rising star choreographer Arielle Smith. Given their previous, you’d guess that she led on storytelling and he on the classical set pieces, but they create a harmonious whole.
