By Debbie Ditton
Enchanted growing trees, dancing snowflakes, and a twirling Sugar Plum Fairy are the perfect way for the Cache Valley Civic Ballet to open the Christmas festivities in Logan. For as long as I can remember, The Nutcracker has been performed Thanksgiving weekend at the Ellen Eccles Theatre, and it seems to get bigger and better every year. Audiences love the story of young Clara (Sophie Baldwin) who gets a Nutcracker doll from her Godfather, Drosselmeyer (Kevin Nakatani), at the family Christmas party. After everyone has gone home, Clara comes back downstairs to retrieve her new toy and falls asleep in the parlor. In her whimsical dream, her Nutcracker Prince (Isaac Anderson) comes alive and together they fight the Mouse King (Nathan Jones), travel through the Snow Kingdom and enjoy a ‘festival of dancing’ in the Land of Sweets. The original story of The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman is stunningly brought to life by the original choreography of Lev Ivanov and nothing is more moving than the charming melodies and rich orchestrations of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The music for this production is expertly performed by the Northern Utah Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Mark Emile, and truly completes the ballet experience. Live musicians bring a unique energy to a production and I appreciate that it is a priority for this ballet company. This particular production also features live singers from Mount Logan Middle School (Melody Francis) and Cache Children’s choir (Claudia Bigler). Their clear treble voices add an ethereal beauty to an already mesmerizing section of the performance. Along with the live music, the other production elements create the perfect backdrop for the superb dancing. The costumes, managed by Pamela Kirschman, are exquisite with meticulous detail, and every ballerina is dressed to the nines, including their make-up (Sandra McAllister). The lighting (Emily Heap) adds to the magic created by the beautiful drops and creative props (Christy Grove), and the snow, which falls through the entire scene in the Snow Kingdom, is truly breathtaking.
Under the direction of Sandra Emile, and with the help of rehearsal assistants Karyn Hansen, Pamela Kirschman, and Jamie Lindley, this show is danced beautifully. The choreography is well suited to the dancers and the ballet corps is well-rehearsed. I love that dancers of all ages and abilities are featured throughout the production. I am also impressed by the number of young boys participating and am hopeful that they continue to dance as they grow older. The featured male dancers are all very talented. In the party scene, the male Dancing Doll (Briton Rasmussen) and Soldier (Darius Kirschman) are strong and precise in their movement. Nakatani is a master storyteller a well as an accomplished dancer. His magic tricks are performed with flair and I loved watching his facial expressions. Anderson is a cute Nutcracker Prince. I can’t imagine that it is easy to fight the Mouse King wearing a huge Nutcracker head, but he and Jones make the scene fun and exciting. Stephen Millsap (The Snow King, Spanish Lead, Russian Dancer) is also delightful to watch, and his years of training in both dance and musical theatre are apparent in his different roles. His footwork is excellent and his showmanship extraordinary. Colin Hathaway (Cavalier) is the perfect counterpart for Jade Wimmer (Sugar Plum Fairy), as his strength matches her grace and their partner work is effortless and smooth. They seem to glide together on the stage and make the intricate lifts look easy. Hathaway appears courtesy of Utah Metropolitan Ballet and is a significant addition to the cast.
Every one of the women leads are remarkable. Wimmer just glows as she is dancing. Her technique is stunning, and her skillfulness at subtle detail is enthralling. She appears cool and calm while dancing with passion and energy. It is a pleasure to watch her throughout Act 2. Brittany Bailey (Snow Queen, Spanish Lead) is an elegant dancer. Her lifts with Millsap are clean and solid and her extensions are beautiful. She, along with the Show King, Snow Princesses, and Snowflakes, create a winter wonderland that is truly spectacular and the perfect way to end Act 1. Watching the dancers twirling while the snow is falling was one of my favorite moments of the entire show.
Other standout women are Laura Geertsen (Dancing Doll), Britnie Jenkins (Dewdrop Princess), Sarah Hamilton (Arabian Princess), Lauren Ellis (Chinese Lead), Ellie Filimoehala and Amber Hawkes (Marzipan Leads), Brianne Corbridge (Rose Princess) and of course, Baldwin as Clara. Each is perfectly suited to their role and dances with expertise and beauty. All of the company dancers and community cast members combine their talent and energy marvelously to create a production with the look and feel of a much larger metropolitan area. I am so impressed by the quantity and quality of the local dancers and am proud to call Cache Valley home.
My afternoon at the ballet was enjoyable in every way. Not only was the ballet engaging, but the beauty of the Ellen Eccles Theatre, the full and responsive audience, and the little girls in the building wearing tutus and tiaras all made for a delightful experience. I loved seeing so many children in the theatre and the production held them (and me) spellbound for the entire 90+ minute performance. If you have not gotten your tickets yet, you had better head over to cachearts.org and get them before they are gone. Thank you, Cache Valley Civic Ballet, for such a lovely tradition.
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