The Nutcracker - Sugar Plum pas de deux: Adagio (Nuñez, Muntagirov, The Royal Ballet)
A Christmas treat for the whole family and a classic with a special place in the hearts of ballet fans around the world. Principals of The Royal Ballet Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov perform the Adagio from the Sugar Plum grand pas de deux in Act II of The Nutcracker. Find out more here www.roh.org.uk/productions/th...
Peter Wright's interpretation of The Nutcracker has been enchanting children and adults alike since its first performance by The Royal Ballet in 1984. Lev Ivanov's 1892 ballet combined with Tchaikovsky's sumptuous, iconic score are presented in a festive period setting with vivid designs to make this a charming and magical production. Loosely based on the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the ballet begins in the 19th-century German home of the Stahlbaums, where they are hosting a lively Christmas party. The period setting is captured in opulent detail by Julia Trevelyan Oman's designs, which include authentic Christmas tree decorations that are magically brought to life. Wright's choreography ingeniously incorporates surviving fragments of the ballet's original material, including the sublime pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. But in emphasizing the relationship between Clara and the Nutcracker, the production also gains a touching subtext of first love.
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Everyone's talking about the ballet dancing but few know really that Tchaikovsky wrote this melody as he imagined his late sister dancing, who he had just lost to illness right before he came back to russia and composed this
I learn something new everyday
Yeah- I always sort of imagined it was him & her dancing together one last time.
I love these sort of factoids, and I had no idea about that so thanks!
I just found this video and even thought it looks like the 'ghost' or memory of his late sister because of that all white costumes.
I knew about this but ty for educating those who don't
Ballet is so overlooked!! People don’t realize she has trained her entire life in order to be able to do that and make it look effortless!! The man as well! He has to lift a full grown woman in the air effortlessly!
Through the eyes Of Jupiter and he as well! He threw her up on his shoulder and ran around the stage with her, like no big deal. Male ballet dancers are incredibly strong and coordinated.
What about him?? You know he's dancing as well. Give the man some credit
MC cruz Hum. They just did . You just didn’t read .
@@reynhacoezy5510 You bitch!!They just edit the comment
MC cruz why are you calling her a bitch for no reason she just didn’t notice the edit
Everytime Marianela smiles, seems like she's having the happiest moment of her entire life. It's so refreshing to watch her.
It’s worth watching vids of of these two in reversal, they have such a good time.
Nela is a JOY. I'm usually more of a Russian/Vaganova devotee but Nela.... she's something special. Probably my favorite principal ballerina anywhere, and that's saying something considering Evgenia Obraztsova and Diana Vishneva are still dancing. She brings so much joy and light to everything she does. I'm kind of obsessed. Her dancing is legitimately flawless.
@@simplystreeptacular Joy and flawless, perfect words to describe her and her dancing 😊
true!!!! she is so beautiful 💞
if I were covered in that much glitter I would be infinitely happy too ✨
Dude. They look EXACTLY like the jewelry box classic paintings of ballet. Marianela looks JUST like a ballerina in a music box here! These two are absolutely gorgeous! I love them so much!
Quanta grazia delicata sa sprigionare questa musica... L'anima romantica di Ciajkosky è bene espressa dai due ballerini
זה בדיוק מה שחשבתי!!
Dude?
Am I the only person who watches ballet and want to do it but can't because they're already to old to start classes but still watches it because if how grateful and beautiful it is.....just me...okay.
It's never too old to start
Damn, you read my mind 😭
Me too 😓, only I started very young but did’t continued, and I don’t really remember why but I really do regreat it 😓
Marina Amorim same
No don’t ever think that you’re too old. If you really want it, do it. Start classes. You won’t regret it, and even if you don’t end up liking dancing, just enjoy watching it, at least you know and have closure.
Obviously their dancing is amazing, but besides that their heights are very nice and really compliment each other. Their costumes are just gorgeous and their expressions are perfect throughout the entire performance. These ‘little things’ seem not as important, but they really take a performance to the next level and get the audience to believe the story they are telling
Everythinh spot on. Except the annoying blond wig .
If you like this you should try Barbie and the Nutcracker
That is true. These little things makes it more beautiful and special. I really feel like I am in the Sugar Plum Fairy's ball room whew
although it's very pleasing to look at, i think muntagirov is a teensy bit too tall in their partnering. they work together so nicely it doesn't seem to be a problem though
It’s such an incredible collaboration between so many talented people! And they get to tell a beautiful story. I’m going to miss the ballet this year at Christmas
I cry every time I hear this performed live. I always thought this was about people saying good bye forever, like they’d never see each other again. Then I learned Tchaikovsky wrote this right after the death of his sister Alexandra. 😭 😭 😭 so beautiful and sad and uplifting at the same time.
I cry every time as well!😢❤
And here I thought I was the only one getting super sensitive over this piece🥲
@Lithov I had no clue Nux Walpurgis was inspired by this piece! I gotta go listen to it again now holy heck.
@@ghostofpolaris I don't know if it really was inspired by this, it's just my guess. Because it sounds similar to me (but again, maybe it's just me), and because of the name with "nux" (nut) instead of "nox" (night), and the way the Nutcracker imagery was used in Rebellion.
I lost my dad in 2022, went to see The Nutcracker for Christmas with my mom and husband and yea, lost it when this piece came out, the music is just so haunting and all I could think of was my dad. Hugged my mom the entire time and tears just flowed quietly.
Their body alignments and attention to detail is impeccable
She has so much joy and warmth in her interpretation. And he's a wonderful partner. Superb.
Agree
And a not an easy... choreo... wow... all quite relaxed in one peace...
I couldn't Agree more.😉
How she raises her head EXACTLY with the music at 5:40. #sublime
Cheryl Zane she raises her everything at that moment🤩
that’s not special...choreography usually goes with the music
@@Amy-ll9is It's a nuance....watch the video with Marquez. She does not accent that moment like Marianela.
Cheryl Zane oh ok. for some reason i read your original comment as being amazed that she was dancing at the same time as the music
Cheryl Zane THIS YES That is exactly what made this the BEST IVE EVER SEEN.
their synchronization at 3:15 always give me goosebumps
There are so many moments of perfection. I thought maybe it was the camera angle but it is them from any angle. Just breathtaking.
At 90 I am still enjoying these old videos & wish I could be there!!
Just enjoy ❤
Dear Lillian 1450. You're living large and long. Well done.
5:28 that little smile towards Clara before turning. she's so cute and perfect gaaaahhh
Omggggg loveeeee
U r so detailed omg
that’s not clara lol that’s the sugar plum fairy
h o n e y m a r b l e is clara on stage? it doesn’t look like it from the camera angles
Jamie Zhang she’s in the back watching bc it’s her dream
This is just wonderful, I've seen plenty of other couples do it on stage/film and in rehearsal, but Vadim and Marianela take it a step further, there are so many places when a subtle head angle difference or the way an arm is moved that lifts the whole performance to a different level. It's the first time I've seen the Cavalier look like he's in love with the Sugar Plum Fairy, but not in a way that makes it overly romantic or outside the story line. Just lovely!
Agreed.
And the costumes and decorations r stunning. İs this royal opera ? Amazingly done
@@EughhBrothereughh It's the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House - so sort of! the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera share the building, but are completely separate companies. Confusingly the building shares a name with one not the other! Apparently, the theatre got that name in 1892 and at that time both ballet and opera among other things were performed there. The origins of the Royal Ballet are 30+ years later and they became resident at the theatre in 1946. My guess is an opera company always was resident at the theatre and the existence of an opera company with a Royal Charter goes back way further, the Royal English Opera existed before the current theatre got it's current name! That's way over complicated for basically saying, yes!
A wonderful performance and almost certainly Tchaikovsky's most beautiful and emotionally-charged piece of music he had ever written.
6 minutes on pointe !!!! Only ballerinas know how painful is this and how hardly did she work to be that smooth on the stage !!! Respect for both of them
3:51 When it hits that part I always wanna cry. The ending to this part is always so beautiful, the music and the dance.
I do cry 😭🙏
Esta parte es grandiosa, sencillamente grandiosa!! Y sí mueve a las lágrimas!
Bruh its Tchaikovsky chill out, you want something to cry over? 3rd movement of Beethoven 132
He wrote this on the death of his sister Alexandra. I always wanted cry at this part. Even as a kid watching a cartoon in Russia.
Me: Relax it's just scales Also me: 😢😭
The 180° angle between his left leg and her lifted leg so so gorgeous at 2:12
Oh wow it really is!
Catrina I’m learning how to play piano music now 😊🙂
yessss!!! her lines are amazing
this is everything to me she is so perfect
Can we all take a moment to appreciate the elegant effortlessness of Vadim’s lifts, particularly at 3:53, 4:03 and 4:52? His technique is faultless.
As a figure skater, I’ve never really appreciated what’s influenced my sport the most - ballet - until recently. And, I’ll add, ballet is wayyyy more impressive (from my perspective) than figure skating, at least artistically. This Pas de Deux is absolutely stunning, too!
I'm a ballet dancer and I really want to at least try figure skating, but I'm really nervous because I can't even skate backwards.
Figure skating is so good tho too! Tbh, as a ballerina id say figure skating seems harder to me, Dancing on ice and going in one leg, spinning crazily fast- Ive tried skating and yeah- not for me 💀
I totally agree - but I think the distinction lies in that figure skating is presented as more of a sport, rather than a performance in and of itself (which I would absolutely love to see more of), whereas ballet is very centred on performance. Both require a lot of training, flexibility, strength, etc. but ballet is focused on getting it perfect, whereas unfortunately (especially in singles skating), it’s just a points-grabbing game.
I legit found this by typing: 'ballet music paaaaa paa daaa paadaaaaa padadaaaaaa paaadaaaa paaaadadaaaa paadapaaadadaaa'
Funny, I found the black swan coda in swan lake in much the same way ('ba da, ba da, ba da, lalalalala la, la, lalalalala la lalalala, ba da, ba da ba da, lalalala la la, twirly twirly twirly x 32')
Lol 🤣🤣🤣
😀🤣
Lol that's cause this is THE famous Pas de deux, and the search engine must have interpreted, quite fortunately, your paaadaaadaaa to mean "pas de deux" 😂... Thank god for technology. Now we only have to work on not spying others, huh, Google?
LMAO
Impeccable! I always cry at the end. The music is just so beautiful.
Do You know th name of the músic or how i can found it? Thanks
It’s Tchaikovsky’s “Pas de Deux”
@@katherineriveros3325 the nutcracker op 71 act 2 no 14a
just the music? the ballet dancers do an incredible job too
Me too! I always cry, even in the theatre. Lol. It's so sweet I can't help myself! 🤣
Everytime I rewatch this it gets more beautiful. It might not have the most dazzling choreography, but the way Marianela and Vadim dance this choreography elevates it to a new level. The musicality on the lifts and especially at the end is fantastic. You could freeze the video at any point and get a picture perfect moment. Thank you Royal Opera House for sharing this video and thank you Marianela and Vadim for sharing your talent.
Other versions, with more "dazzling" choreography, don't create the wonderful feeling of magic that Peter Wright's version does. It's beautifully detailed.
Actually i agree with you marianela and vadim are perfect but i think this choreography doesnt reflect the music well cause music here is sooo powerful and choreo is not enough
@@gulobubbub8146 Totally agree. Orchestra here is first rate, deserves something more over the top from the choreography, frankly.
Marianela's musicality 😍😍😍
She is FLAWLESS ! You can definitely see the superb training, experience and controlled grace of both these dancers in this beautiful pas de deux. Especially the prima.
Marianela and Vadim: a match made in heaven. One of ballet's most superlative couples. Both have exquisite technique, grace, timing and intuitive interpretation. Magical.
😊
😊
😊😊mlh Fch
As always, the tilt of her head, the expression in her eyes, the smile of wonder, are beyond perfection. And he's loving it.
Vadim is equally beyond perfection in every way.
this made me cry, they are amazing
Me too! 🙂
Me too! I’m such a cry baby but it was just so beautiful.
I always cried when I hear this music :) cause it's so darn beautiful
Same
Katya Dorofeeva me too !
I can’t believe they added glittery hair to the Sugar Plum. It really looks nice
this is my favourite pax de deux of any ballet... it reduces me to tears everytime.....I remember one afternoon at the Royal opera house, sitting next to a very old lady who said she was an ex-dancer at ROH.. we both cried watching this...
Thought I was the only one omg
@@orangevibrationYou aren’t….
😮I just recently discovered this as a dear friend had this playing in the background of her Instagram reel. It was so incredibly moving especially as she related to her third successful triumph over cancer. 😂
Nela is a universal treasure. She is Grace, she is joy... And Vadim is extremely talented, they make a great pair! One of my favourites, along with McRae and Lamb.
Something about Tchaikovsky’s music is just so captivating and the ballet dancers just are phenomenal in dancing to his music. What a fantastic performance for the dancers, to be so greatly honors to dance a duet to one of Tchaikovsky’s most meaningful piece of music.
I wanna cry. My love for ballet is undescribable
One of the most beautiful things I've seen in my whole life.
She elongates every movement with the music so beautifully. Her head and smile even. Wow! So satisfying to watch!
She has the most lovely arms - beautiful port de bras....
I've just 'discovered' this beautiful art at 79 years old
Saw this performed live and it was my favorite part of the entire nutcracker performance, partially because of the music.
She is electric while she moves. Her smile is so genuine. You can truly tell there is no place she'd rather be in that moment. And he is such a great partner showcasing her. ugh I love the Royal Ballet.
most beautiful version of this adagio i have ever seen !
Agreed!
Indeed
Yes!
@@FrannyPaKKKK91 no
Aluno(a) Luiza Oliveira Dias you have to
This song has such bitterness to its sweetness. Like getting to say goodbye to someone you shouldn't be able to, but for the last time. As if knowing you won't ever see them again.
My cousin has been dancing ballet since she was five years old. Every Christmas, the dance theater she performs at puts on a performance of the Nutcracker. My cousin went from playing one of the little girls at the opening party scene to playing the Sugar Plum Fairy in a span of 13 years. I’m so proud of her!
The most beautiful music I've ever heard in my life so far. The gods must weep when they hear this beautiful melody. This is the pinnacle of human creation.❤
OMG you have FINALLY uploaded this!! You have no idea how long I have waited for this pas de deux to appear on your channel! Best present ever opened on a Boxing Day so far!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! 😍😍😍
I also waited anxiously 😅😅
They had one years ago with another extremely beautiful woman but they’ve since deleted it. It was my ultimate favourite and it’s a shame they deleted it :/
Watching this makes me cry happy tears😭❤️
It's so moving.....
I love ballet i'm a dancer and wen i'm dancing i feel what i'm dancing what i'm doing and sometimes cry..❤❤❤❤
Going to see The Nutcracker this year. I can't wait.
Questo è il passo a due più bello dell'opera: la musica è talmente bella da essere struggente. Mountagirov è bravissimo e aggraziato, come deve essere il personaggio, Marianela Nunez è una ballerina straordinaria, perfetta ed empatica. Mi piaccionio moltissimo entrambi.
This has to be the most beautiful things my eyes have seen, I'm so moved
Then you would enjoy Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov in every ballet they perform (many clips can be found on KZhead), they really are poetry in motion.
this is so beautiful. this has to be my absolute favorite version of this duet. everything from the costumes, the set, the choreography, and especially the dancers are all so ethereal. and the dancers chemistry is insane 😭❤️❤️
So wonderful to see both male & female dancers that are elegant, strong, beautiful & amazing executioners of these moves! Thank you
the most beautiful thing i've ever seen. i've never cried this much for finding something so beautiful
This is my favourite, like ballet anything
This has got to be one of my favourite video ever on youtube. I've lost count the amount of time I've come back to this masterpiece. Please don't ever delete this video!❤
I never comprehended what a "Prima Ballerina" was until....until...until I saw her!!!
This version is so good - they are dancing together, with choreography aligning with the music. And they are complimenting and not one of them over powering the other. I can’t help but to watch it all the time. Wonderful!
this is one of the most soft and beautiful things I have seen in my entire life
Vadim Muntagirov is such a stunning, thoughtful partner, so delicate and gentle with whomever he dances with.
ballet is my favourite dance form omg love it. The most beautiful and elegant of all !
I mentally complimented her every second from the beginning till the end...
She is beauty, she is grace, she has so much power, she can kick you in the face. (and it would hurt. REALLY BAD)
@Patty Jacobson WTF?? how dose whirling around create stains? i don't see any? are you ok?
Might kill ya
everything about this is so aesthetically pleasing...
This is so beautiful and elegant. I can't stop listening to the music, all the pain, so dramatic and strong, every time I hear Thaikovsky's music I feel like crying.
She is so pretty😭😭 and both of them are gorgeous and wow i'm speechless with this beautiful performance🥺💖
Vadim and Marianela, magical.
When everybody commented how beautiful the dance is... I feel like crying because i can imagine how hurt it must feel to dance this and im not even a dancer. Mad respect for people who do ballets.
When I was small this song always made me cry when my Mother played the record. I still feel why somehow. It is so overwhelming. Somehow tragic. Where are they all now who enjoyed these records back then. Incredible how fast a life runs.
Tchaikovsky composed this piece thinking about if his sister who had recently passed away danced it. I think that it gives it a whole new depth.
@@bridgetkane2856 Thank you SO much for telling this to me! Yes, you are so right. It does indeed . I have a difficult relation to my sister,;who was a few years the cherished princess until i arrived. I always loved her, while she refused to love me- while she loved me too. She was 'mean' in our childhood( now we are not so youbg anymore and she is ill) speaks and spoke bad of me, her friends tell me what she says about me and assure me, "you are not tHAT bad. Now she has a new friend which tells her to end contact with me, and I am fed up; way too much had happened included stealing a big sum of money- but I velieve her she did not mean it bad, she thinks somehow I am her propery, and I always did her bad- what I never did. We are the last relatives. She moved far away, will be buried somewhee. Her idea, I shallrent a flat near to her, is a joke. We would not be allowed (yes!) to meet, and so- why shoud I leave my home? But so we glode away from each other, more and more. We do not want it. But I am so afraid because of the day when I will be told- _if_ I will be told- that she left earth. So much sad and cruel things happebed, as the lost if our Mother. But we faced it together. I don't know how I shall survive that day. Many many greetings to you and thank you this much!
The beauty of this ballet is eternal; a true jewel of art. If, by some miracle, human beings are still around in 1000 years, this ballet will still be danced.
Impossible to hold the tears
I wish more people knew the pain ballerinas endure to participate in this dance. Look at thier feet. A whole different level of respect.
My god the music in this is so heavenly 😭♥️
This pas de deux will always be one of my favorites! Its just so timeless!!!
They are both amazing but that lift at 3.51 is incredible!
3:51
It was good, but I'm more impressed with what I've seen some pair skaters do on ice. I've seen much more impressive stuff, and on ice.
@@jdstep97 you would not find any female "jumping directly" to a lift in a figure skating.
this was the longest 6 minutes ive ever experienced. the music and dancing was all so flawlessly beautiful and spectacular that i was spellbound and couldn't look away!
I am nine years old and am self training myself ballet with videos, and hope I'll be this great some day.
why am i crying this is so beautiful
The way her leg extension goes up with the music at 1:43 just AAAAAAHHHHHH SO BEAUTIFUL
Just PERFECTION ....the dancers are in total unity with each other’s movements, with the wonderful music, and the nuances of the choreography. It is exquisite to see ballet dancers at the peak of their art. All those years at the barre, all that dedication has produced perfection. Thank you.
Love this, went to see the nutcracker last week with my sister, the time came for the Pas de deux, not a single whisper from the audience was heard as the two danced on the stage and the music played. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. What made it more moving was the story behind this specific pas de deux and I having my sister sitting next to me knowing how much she means to me and knowing Tchaikovsky wrote it inspired by the death of his sister Aleksandra I could only imagine the anguish he must have felt as he composed this I could only imagine Tchaikovsky and his sister dancing on the stage.😢
This is great, I cry everytime I watch this
Est-il normal si je pleure chaque fois que je vois ce ballet? 🥺❤
The costumes and stage set up is the most beautiful I’ve seen for this ballet
Best partnership in the Royal Ballet.
These two remarkable dancers are perfect together. They both illuminate the stage with the true love of dance. This is so seldom seen, but when it is (as in this exquisite pas de deux), it guarantees goosebumps. So, so beautiful, you’ve made my Christmas. Thank you! 🎄
I’m a nutcracker ballet fanatic. This was executed with such grace and perfection! Beautiful!
I love the way that they smile when they dance, it shows how much they love dancing ballet. My favourite scene in "The Nutcracker"!
Goosebumps all over. This is true art.
Wow she really looks like a feather, and the strong of that man is just... hilarious. You can see the chemical between them, amazing.
This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life 🥰
Ballet is NOT for the weak 😭😭 my knees and ankles could never.
I know the ballerina is usually the one in the spotlight but that man is so beautiful I couldn’t stop staring at him. Truly a prince if I ever did see one 😭 Side note, I love how you can see they’re having so much fun by the way they kept smiling at each other near the middle. Their joy was so infectious I couldn’t stop smiling watching this either
I’ve watched this so many times and each time it moves me deeply. So classic and faultless yet at the same time, it touches the soul and evokes ecstasy and sadness all at once. The best pas de deux ever, no other dancers compare. Simply perfection
This is a performance for the ages. I've always loved the music even as a child, but seeing this magical production just fills my heart with sheer JOY. I've watched the ballet, with multiple casts, SO many times over the years. My thanks to the many talented performers but also to the incredible team behind the scenes - from the brilliant costumers to the set designers and special effects crew. You create magic.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is simply Perfection!!! Marianela & Vladim 🤩🤩🤩
As a former dancer in Indiana, NYC and Boston, to make extra money I taught so many jazz and ballet dance classes. My favorite classes to teach were "jazz classes for pregnant women" and "basic ballet for adults who want to give it a try". The classes were tailor made for body restrictions such as lack of flexibility, strength, etc... It was great fun to see 20-30 pregnant women dance around laughing and having a great time while getting exercise. It is a proven fact that deliveries of babies are go much better when the mothers are in good and healthy shape. As for the ballet classes, well lets face it, ballet is damn hard, but I made it so basic with out loosing the discipline or beauty of this art form. The bar was a true ballet bar with tons of personals modifications...I ran around the class like a crazy man helping "students". There were even "students" that did the whole bar and the combination in a chair....yes it can be done. The true gratification came when the ballet class would do the one combination. I would choreograph an easy combination to the greatest ballet music with tons of port de bras (arm movements), simple leg movements, maybe a little jump (optional) with lots of acting and attitude. These classes always ended in tears of joy and happiness, myself included. People that thought they could never do ballet actually did it. It's a shame that these kinds of classes are not offered at many dance studios if any. but you can do it! I push my furniture out of the way as much as I can and move around to the most glorious ballet music. Right now it's "Nutcracker" season and my favorite dance is "Waltz of the Flowers". Put on a KZhead selection and give it a try! You can do it!
I like Dance of the Mirlitons
Thank you for sharing your story ! I feel it's beautiful emotional significance and inspiration !!!
As an adult ballet dancer, thank you for offering these opportunities! It's inspiring to read how passionate you are about teaching and your students are lucky to have you!
In this dance, they are like one soul splitting into two. It’s so wonderful.
One of the few things I must do in this lifetime: see Marianela Nuñez on stage!
This is the most beautiful adage in all ballet, even considering when you have The Merry Widow’s adage and Spartacus’s adage. The Sugar Plum Fairy pas des deux adage is such a hauntingly beautiful melody, and the historical background of its composition makes it even more heartfelt and heartbreaking: Tchaikovsky was in mourning for his sister when he wrote this piece. At the Bolshoi, the dancers never smile during this performance because they know what’s behind that, but Marianela’s smile is so infectious and it lights up the entire stage, her dancing is so effortlessly perfect, her charisma is unmatched, it only gives the performance more depth. Vadim’s technique only compliments hers, he’s a beautiful dancer and so smooth.