Trepak
For those who attend the Nutcracker Ballet, the Russian Dance, Trepak, is one of the most memorable parts, always an audience favorite. The acrobatic and athletic prowess of the male dancers is just thrilling to watch.
(Check out the Boston Ballet’s Russian Dance here)
We like to bring the Russian Dance to life with our stuffed animal bear friends. We like to use a big drum for this activity, but a pillow would be a great trampoline, too. The bears jump whenever you hear the “accent” in the music. They also respond to the music by dancing, walking to greet their friends, doing some more jumping and more dancing, and finally falling to the ground in a heap because they are so worn out!
After you’ve tried it with your bear friends, take it to the next level by doing the jumping and the dancing yourself! You needed a workout today anyway, right?
Options for babies: Make your baby BE the bear! Or, make your baby’s belly the trampoline for the bear/your fingers!
Extension Activity
Here is a good visual story of the Nutcracker done by Classical Kids Storytime. This 15 minute video is a great way to introduce the story with pictures and clips of the music!