Sunday, December 5, 2010

Time for Tea!


Another divertissement, or independent dance, from Act II of The Nutcracker is that of the Chinese dancer, symbolizing Tea. The male who traditionally plays this role requires the agility and stamina of a gymnast as well as the grace of a dancer. His performance is punctuated by a series of fantastic leaps, which inspired the pose for this ornament.

I've worked out an elongated diamond as the shape of this ornament to accentuate the lines of the dancer. The pattern for the background will hopefully reinforce the horizontal orientation.

This little guy should be a fun stitch, so do come back and watch my progress!

5 comments:

The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure said...

How cute! I hope you finish this one with a teacup button or something so we non-Nutcracker ballet visitors remember his name!

Possibilities, Etc. said...

I hear the music when I look at your Nutcracker Suite ornaments!! This one is truly wonderful. So many of the "Nutcracker" ornaments from the ballet are just things with sparkle, but no music or personality. The three great Tchaikovsky ballets are available on DVD for those who can't attend a real one - I started my grandchildren very young on these.

Anonymous said...

A truly original series! I look forward to seeing each one as you stitch them for us to see.

Anonymous said...

Is that the role Wayne Sleep used to dance? He had such an amazing gift for leaps.

Anne Stradal said...

Rachel--his diminutive height (5'2") and dancing ability would certainly suggest he was born to this role, but his official website only cites his playing a role in a "Pastorale Pas de Trois" in The Nutcracker.