The Nutcracker

By GARY DEMUTH

The holiday classic “The Nutcracker” has become a family tradition for many Salina residents.

This year’s Salina Symphony and Ballet Salina collaboration will involve more than 80 dancersfrom multiple studios in the region.

“Some of the dancers have participated in several productions of ‘The Nutcracker,’” said Tamara Howe, owner and operator of Ballet Salina, a division of Tamara Howe School of Dance. “Once they have performed one role, they’re excited to see what the next role up can be. Children grow up with it, and you see them positively influenced by the older dancers.”

The Salina Symphony and Ballet Salina will present two performances of “The Nutcracker”: Sat., Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 and Sun., Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe.

Participants in this year’s production include dancers from Salina’s Tamara Howe School of Dance, Theatre Salina’s Center for Theatre Arts, and Della’s Dance Studio as well as ArtisTree(Hutchinson), Dancing Bird Studio (Minneapolis), and Activated Arts (Junction City).

The production also will feature select members from the Salina Symphony Youth Choirperforming the “Snow Chorus”. Before each show, vocal music students from Kansas Wesleyan University will sing Christmas carols in the Stiefel Theatre lobby.

The student dancers have been rehearsing for the production every Saturday morning since the beginning of the school year, said Howe, who is choreographing the ballet with Ballet Salina artistic director Mara Klenda, based on original choreography created by Marius Petipa.

“Every time we present it, we change it a little bit to keep it fresh and exciting,” Howe said.

Live orchestra

This is the second Salina production of “The Nutcracker” to be conducted by Salina Symphony music director Yaniv Segal, who said the ballet has “become synonymous with the holiday season” because of the holiday setting, lavish costumes and most importantly, the timeless music.

“Tchaikovsky has a gift for melody, and this particular score is remarkable, moving the story along and capturing characters in an amazing way,” he said. “The story is also fun and something everyone can understand.”

As a conductor, Segal said he has to keep a close eye on the dancers and how they move during each performance.

“I need to pay attention to whether they’re comfortable and able to move with grace,” he said. “I shouldn’t even be looking at the orchestra.”

Performing “The Nutcracker” with a live symphony orchestra is “how the show should be done,” Segal said.

“The dancers are so happy that we’re doing it with live music,” he said. “This is the kind of holiday show that brings people together. Concerts like this help create special memories.”

Guest artists involved

Guest artists for this year’s production will be Lucas Segovia, who will dance the role of the Cavalier, and Molly Groeschl, who dances the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Lucas is a former principal with the Joffrey Ballet and Molly performed principal roles with the Madison Ballet.

Professional dancers are contracted to portray the Cavalier and Sugar Plum Fairy because of thephysical and technical challenges of the roles, Howe said.

This year will feature two “beautiful” performers, she said, who also happen to be “wonderful teachers.”

“Kids will have an opportunity to take a master class from them during their stay,” she said.

Howe said it’s been a thrill to watch the show come together during the last several months.

“It’s fun to see everyone’s hard work pay off,” she said. “It’ll be great for the community to see such a collaborative show, to see so many people on stage, so many faces of the community.”

Story of the Nutcracker

“The Nutcracker” tells the story of Clara, a young girl who receives a nutcracker soldier as a Christmas present during a festive holiday gathering. When she falls asleep later in the evening,she enters a dream world where toys come to life and wage battle against an army of mice, headed by the fearsome Mouse King.

Clara and her nutcracker, who has been transformed into a prince, travel into the Land of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy, before she awakens and finds it has all been a dream.

“The Nutcracker” ballet was inspired by the book “The Story of the Nutcracker” by French author Alexandre Dumas, which itself was an adaptation of the dark fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffman.

The original ballet adaptation was created by Marius Petipa and Len Ivanov, with original music by the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892, and since its premiere has become a perennial holiday classic staged in theaters and concert halls throughout the world.

Tickets selling fast

Tickets are selling fast for this year’s production of “The Nutcracker,” which is being sponsored by Bennington State Bank, JRI Hospitality and Salina Regional Health Center.

Tickets for each performance are $42 and $45 for adults and $25 for children and students. Thisconcert is recommended for children ages 3 and above.

Adult tickets may be purchased at the Stiefel Theatre box office, by calling (785) 827-1998 or online at www.salinasymphony.org. Student tickets must be purchased through the Stiefel Theatre box office.

Attending “The Nutcracker,” Howe said, is the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit.

“By the time you leave, you’ll be ready for Christmas,” she said.

For more information, contact Salina Symphony executive director Adrienne Allen at (785) 823-8309.