Polichinelles
Sometimes the cutest characters in the Nutcracker are the polichinelles.
Polichinelle (poe LEE shee nell) is a French word that literally translated means “Punch,” the
Punch of the English puppet duo, Punch and Judy. They were the original comedy act, created
in the 1700s. These puppets’ loud arguments escalated into fights in which they hit and
punched each other. In some Nutcrackers the Polichinelles are tiny, active characters who disrupt the more dignified dances of the dolls in the Land of Sweets. Mother Ginger has to gather them up and take them away before they get into trouble.
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ReplyDeleteI danced as one of the polichinelles in the Nutcracker many years ago. Today I was wondering just exactly what a polichinelle was, and I found your website. I remember having to pop out of a slit in the front of an adult dancer's huge skirt, and then after the dance, we had to get back underneath her skirt.
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