4.9 quake shakes Sugar Plum Fairy

4.9 quake shakes Sugar Plum Fairy

ballet

norman lebrecht

November 11, 2025

Royal New Zealand Ballet’s production of Nutcracker turned fairly scary when a major earthquake hit Wellington in mid-twirl.

RNZB artistic director and choreographer Ty King Wall said the quake struck during the Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux – “one of the ballet’s most magical moments”.

“Everyone – dancers and orchestra alike – continued without missing a beat…”

Full report here.

image: RNZB/Stephen A’Court

Comments

  • Amar says:

    Now that is what you call Professionalism. Bravo.

  • John Borstlap says:

    Amazing!

    The danger with earthquakes during ballet performances is that you take a leap and come down on quite another place than choreographed. Some very gifted ballerinas can hover in the air for a couple of minutes to monitor the situation and make a choice of landing. But that is a rare gift, as we know.

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