Peter Tchaikovsky’s THE NUTCRACKER

by: Rob | On Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

In the grand annual tradition of classic ballet companies throughout the U.S.… San Diego Ballet mounted a rather handsome production of The NUTCRACKER on the stage of Mandeville Auditorium in La Jolla. In keeping with all the expected scenes of Tchaikovsky’s NUTCRACKER, Co-Directors Robin Morgan and Javier Velasco staged the evening with elegance and noticeably marked improvement (over previous years) in their female corps-de-ballet of ballerinas…never looked lovelier!

Guiding the well-known story, Javier Velasco as DROSSLMEYER looked less severe and menacing (then his previous Nutcracker appearances), and seemed to be enjoying more the role of CLARA’s Godfather, who brings life-like dolls to the 19th Century party, including the regal Nutcracker doll. CLARA, played this evening (12/18) by Tessa Meads, was delightfully poignant, and her GRAND PARENTS Melissa Ryan and Martine Perez gave a real humor-kick to the prancing elders. Also of note in this first act PARTY SCENE was Stephanie Maiorano as the BALLERINA DOLL and Jillian Nealon as the SOLDIER DOLL…both excellent dancers! In the popular RATS battle scene, with Julio Catano (as KING RAT) it is Christine Owen’s stage presence and ballet technique that captures your attention as the QUEEN RAT! In the first act finale SNOW SCENE, Pal Udvarhelyi and Rachel Sebastian as the SNOW KING and QUEEN respectively…are as close to perfection as one could ask for….and here, the aforementioned female corps-de-ballet of 12-ballerinas (mush-rooming at times to 24-dancers) were superb…well-rehearsed, in simple, but engaging choreographic patterns…and, costumed beautifully…the dancers looked radiant!

Although Act II’s scenario could stand some improvements…the principals Abby Avery as the SUGAR PLUM FAIRY and Askar Alimbetov as her handsome CAVALIER, led the cast of seemingly ‘thousands’ of SUGARBABES, CANDYCANES, LADIES-IN-WAITING, GINGERSNAPS and GUMMYBEARS (real scene-stealers here), all of whom annually fill the houses with parents, families and friends. In this NUTCRACKER, however, it is the specialty dance cameos that draw the avid attention, and often garner the biggest applause. So, it was with the SPANISH CHOCOLATE scene with Martine Perez and Kirsten Thorne; one of the highlights of Act II was the four couples of Rachel Sebastian, Askar Kettebekov, Pat Udvarhelyi, John Phung, Trystan Loucadeo, Leila Gardner, Christine Owen and Corinne Emmenegger, as a seductive quartet in ARABIAN COFFEE. The CHINESE TEA Scene was then followed by the RUSSIAN VATRUSHKA…always a favorite segment, with Aaron Pomery’s terrific athletic-dance skills as the Russian Cossack, and of course, the MARZIPAN Scene with SHEPHERD Pat Udvarhelyi and delicate Japanese ballerina Hiroko Hori as the SHEPHERDESS. Every NUTCRACKER has its ‘kamp’ fun with MOTHER GINGER…here, played-to-the-hilt by Ted Barduson and his eight tiny GINGERSNAPS. The parade of cameo dance spots was climaxed by the famed “Waltz of the Flowers” corps-de-ballet, featuring Stephanie Maiorano as DEWDROP, as petite in size as her sprightly performance. The icing on this Nutcracker cake was the Grand Pas De Deux by Abby Avery and Askar Alimbetov…they gave that extra professional touch to this classy presentation of The NUTCRACKER.

In what choreographer Javier Velasco describes as “…something I have created that is as fast and fleeting, as that first, sudden, sensation of love and desire” …San Diego Ballet’s next offering to balletomanes will be the classic ROMEO & JULIET on Feb. 13-15th at the downtown San Diego Lyceum Theatre. For ticket information, call… (619) 544-1000, or go online at www.sandiegoballet.org.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Dance, In the Spotlight.