Four Curtain Calls, Whistling & Hollering Greet Ballet BC's Nutcracker

Opening night for the Nutcracker, a co production between Ballet B.C., The Alberta Ballet and students from Art's Umbrella Youth Ballet aught to energize these dancers for the rest of the run. Four curtain calls, whistling, hollering and yes, a hand full of women brave enough to offer a standing ovation sent a great deal of love and appreciation to an extremely talented group of dancers. There was a very minor stumble of a member of the dancing chorus – meaning a miss step and I probably was the only one who noticed. My friend, when I mentioned it, did not see it at all.  Having had the pleasure of seeing two live performances of the Nutcracker, the amazingly hard work of the dancers, set designers and production team only cements my opinion that we are indeed fortunate in our city to have the class, talent and skill of a widely ranging group of artists and performers. While I am in awe of the hand painted sets used in the Goh version, there was something a bit more appealing to me with Ballet BC's sets – in particular, I was truly impressed with the icicles seemingly to hang in mid-air in the winter scene. The role of Drosselmeyer was strong and clear in Ballet BC, but my preference was with the magician Damien Carriere from the Goh telling. Which simply means, that the story of the Nutcracker is open to interpretation, with each artistic director choosing a design in line with their imagination. Nothing wrong with that at all. In Ballet BC, the Snow Tsarina is on toe almost the entire time she is on stage. She is dressed is a splendidly white sequenced flowing gown. Wearing a pair of spiked heels should be a breeze after this! The male dancers, while few in number, certainly are deserving of praise. Tall, medium and short in height, these men are obviously comfortable enough in their skins to pursue dance and man are they muscular! Whoever thinks dance is for wimps needs their head examined. It is clear from these dancers (male and female) that not only do they practice their dance, they must also be strong and flexible necessitating strength and gymnastic training as well. The Nutcracker runs here in Vancouver until tom, January 1st, 2011. There are two casts alternating between days and times with the hand billet listing whom is performing when. The Nutcracker is a Christmas tradition best enjoyed in a live setting. If at all possible, make plans for New Years Day and take in this wonderfully delightful story presented with a whole lot of love and dedication.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. For more information see http://www.balletbc.com