24 Nov 2010 No Comments
Nutcracker ballet launches Christmas – not a dry eye in the house
A performance of the Nutcracker ballet and a fairytale afternoon tea heralded the arrival of Christmas at the Lodore Falls Hotel on Sunday (21st Nov). The hotel, which has taken the Nutcracker theme this year was packed guests wanting to see the first ever ‘Lodore’ ballet production.
Over 170 guests saw dancers from the Starkey School of Theatre Dance in Whitehaven, perform a short version of the Nutcracker Ballet. Aged 9 – 24 the dancers put on a performance that was truly professional and there was hardly a dry eye in the house as parents, grandparents and regular customers were captivated as they watched and listened to the story unfold.
With numerous costume changes and a cast of 30, the enormous amount of preparation was clearly evident and pure enjoyment was plain to see on the faces of the dancers.
Guests were very impressed at the attention to detail given to the hotel décor, the ballet production and the themed link to the afternoon tea with chocolate mice and snow cakes. Mrs Sheila Bewsher from Whitehaven watched Grandson Thomas take part, she said “the hotel looks fantastic with tutu’s masks and ballet shoes; it set the scene for the ballet. It couldn’t have been a more perfect start to Christmas.”
Joyce Hill from Brampton said “it was an enchanting afternoon, something different and a wonderful way to enjoy afternoon tea. The ballet was lovely and the food was fabulous.”
Karen Starkey, Director of the production said “it has been a wonderful experience to create a ballet in such lovely surroundings – it is the perfect location for this Christmas fairytale. The dancers have loved every minute and really appreciated the opportunity to put on the show. The hotel was great to work with and we are already talking about what we can do next.”
Stephen Johnson, General Manager of the hotel said “It was lovely to get such fantastic comments from our regular guests as well as seeing new people experience the magic of our hotel for the first time.”
The idea to create a real first in Cumbria with a Nutcracker theme came from Kit Graves, Hotel Director, who saw a stunning Nutcracker display in Denmark’s ‘Royal Copenhagen Flagship store’ last Christmas. Work started on the 2010 Christmas Nutcracker story very early in the year and has culminated in a fantastic Nutcracker Christmas display. Not to be out done, Head Chef Mike Ward has also created a menu of Russian inspired dishes including Borscht (Beetroot Soup) Kiev’s and Sugar Plum Fairy cake. There are also Russian Cocktails too, like the Ballet Russe, the Moscow Mule and the Russian Quaalude.
Why not view our Nutcracker Event photos CLICK HERE
The next Russian inspired event is a Luncheon on 2nd December – tickets £30. For more details, contact Tanya Sentence on 017687 77285 or visit http://www.lakedistricthotels.net/lodorefalls/index.php
