Last month as The Birmingham Royal Ballet was gearing up to perform its seasonal favorite The Nutcracker, a clip from their 2016 flash mob at Grand Central, a renowned train station and shopping center in Birmingham, England, began circulating on social media.
Scenes of exquisite ballerinas captivating surprised travelers bring to mind the very essence of Christmas -- the extraordinary interrupting the ordinary in the most magnificent way.
The dancers -- all students at the Elmhurst Ballet School -- were joined by choir members from London Contemporary Voices. The short film, which has received over 271K views on Facebook, opens with singers performing the easily recognizable Tchaikovsky score as dancers enter the main shopping area from Pandora, the jewelry store that sponsored the event. Shoppers stop and stare with obvious delight. Many film the special moment on their cellphones.
Whether you live in Birmingham, England, or one of the many other cities in the world where a professional dance troupe is performing The Nutcracker this season, it's certainly a ballet worth checking out. The tale of a nutcracker toy coming to life is a story that -- for good reason -- has captured the minds and hearts of audiences everywhere.
The Birmingham Royal Ballet will be performing The Nutcracker through the end of December.
