Dec. 22, 2009
'The Nutcracker': Huntington Dance Theatre Refreshes a Classic
By Sandee Lloyd
Photos By Sandee and John Lloyd
Huntington Dance Theatre's 2009 performance of "The Nutcracker" is one of the best they've presented in their 28 years.
With many new costumes and fresh faces joining seasoned ones, the company
refreshes a classic and gives it new life. The scenery and lighting, created by
Marshall University's James Morris-Smith and his staff, are outstanding, and in
"Waltz of the Snowflakes," breathtaking.
Jasmine Scott, a sophomore honor student at Huntington High School, is excited and honored to portray her dream role as "Clara" in this years' production. She is a delightful Clara, performing with charm and enthusiasm. She is a very expressive dancer/actor and you can feel her emotions from the joy of receiving the Nutcracker doll through her fear of the mice and the Rat King (Amanda Cass) to her excitement at meeting her "Nutcracker Prince" (Alex Marsh) and enjoyment of the performers in the "Land of Sweets."
Molly Daniel, a graduate teaching assistant in the English program at Marshall University, is once again dancing as the "Sugar Plum Fairy." She began dancing with HDT in 1990 and performed as Clara in 1999. She dances the "Sugarplum Suite" with guest artist Donald Laney. Glorious to watch, they are truly a team and move as one. They have danced together for several years and clearly enjoy working with each other.
Maria Aiello, performing as the "Snow Queen" is a junior at Marshall University majoring in counseling with a minor in psychology. She dances the Snow Pas with Donald Laney. They also make a lovely dance team and their dance is lovely. Their lifts and movements are smooth and beautiful.
Guest Artist Donald Laney as the "Snow King" and "Sugar Plum Cavalier" is the co-Artistic Director of the West Virginia Dance Company. He brings a commanding presence to his roles and is riveting to watch. He handles the tricky lifts and jumps with aplomb, and makes his partners appear weightless as he twirls them around and up.
All the performances were excellent and the dancers clearly enjoyed their roles. Everyone from the tiniest angels to the adult party guests danced with enthusiasm and joy. They were a delight to watch.
The show begins with "At the Party" with a cast of adult dancers and children. The children perform "Clara's Friends," "Children's March" and "Gallop" for the adults and the adults dance the "Reel," then everyone enjoys dances by "Drosselmeyer's Presents": Emily Assaley as the Harlequin Doll, Abigail Hensley as the Ballerina Doll and Taylor Massie as the acrobatic Gypsy Doll. Each doll dances for the enthralled children. The younger children in their pajamas dance "Lullaby" with their teddy bears. After the children are sent to bed the adults do the "Drinking Dance."
Once everyone has left and the house is dark, Clara slips in to look at the Nutcracker doll and falls asleep in a chair. She is quickly surrounded by mice and the Rat King. The Christmas tree magically grows and the Nutcracker doll becomes life-sized to do battle with the Rat King. This dance is very dark with colored designs playing across the floor, another example of the stellar lighting effects of this production.
Clara is led to the land of the snow by her Guardian Angel, danced by Rebekah Finlay. The angel is beautiful and gracefully leads Clara into the "Waltz of the Snowflakes."
Normally in a production this magnificent it would be hard to select one performance as the most outstanding, but the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" is truly breathtaking. The stage is filled with beautiful dancers, including the Snow Queen, Clara and the Nutcracker Prince. As the dancers twirl and leap, snow falls and covers the stage. The lighting is stunning and this dance is the loveliest of them all.
After an intermission, the dancing is in the "Land of Sweets" beginning with the "Waltz of the Flowers" featuring McKenzie Ross as "Dew Drop." This is another large number with a stage full of dancers in beautiful purple and blue costumes. Clara is presented with "Gifts" by the "Sweets" and a dance by the "Baby Angels," the tiniest of the tiny dancers who are adorable in their white and gold dresses.
Clara and her Prince are treated to dances of "Reed Pipes," "Tea from China" featuring a brilliantly colored dragon, "Chocolate," "Coffee" and "Trepak." "Mother Ginger (Laura Finley) and Snaps" is a lighthearted dance with the younger children who leap and cartwheel around until the last one is carried off by Mother Ginger.
The "Sugarplum Suite" is the gorgeous pas de deux by Molly Daniel and Donald Laney. They are magnificent together and this dance is so beautifully done that you never want it to end. But end it must, and the dancers come back for the "Finali."
The Guardian Angel guides Clara back to her home, where she awakens in her chair to find everything back to normal and wonders if it was real or all a dream.
Huntington Dance Theatre's production of "The Nutcracker" gets better each year and is always a delightful part of the holiday season.
The pictures that appear here and many more are available at the following website: http://lloydphotography.ifp3.com/.
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By Sandee Lloyd
Photos By Sandee and John Lloyd
Huntington Dance Theatre's 2009 performance of "The Nutcracker" is one of the best they've presented in their 28 years.
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Jasmine Scott, a sophomore honor student at Huntington High School, is excited and honored to portray her dream role as "Clara" in this years' production. She is a delightful Clara, performing with charm and enthusiasm. She is a very expressive dancer/actor and you can feel her emotions from the joy of receiving the Nutcracker doll through her fear of the mice and the Rat King (Amanda Cass) to her excitement at meeting her "Nutcracker Prince" (Alex Marsh) and enjoyment of the performers in the "Land of Sweets."
Molly Daniel, a graduate teaching assistant in the English program at Marshall University, is once again dancing as the "Sugar Plum Fairy." She began dancing with HDT in 1990 and performed as Clara in 1999. She dances the "Sugarplum Suite" with guest artist Donald Laney. Glorious to watch, they are truly a team and move as one. They have danced together for several years and clearly enjoy working with each other.
Maria Aiello, performing as the "Snow Queen" is a junior at Marshall University majoring in counseling with a minor in psychology. She dances the Snow Pas with Donald Laney. They also make a lovely dance team and their dance is lovely. Their lifts and movements are smooth and beautiful.
Guest Artist Donald Laney as the "Snow King" and "Sugar Plum Cavalier" is the co-Artistic Director of the West Virginia Dance Company. He brings a commanding presence to his roles and is riveting to watch. He handles the tricky lifts and jumps with aplomb, and makes his partners appear weightless as he twirls them around and up.
All the performances were excellent and the dancers clearly enjoyed their roles. Everyone from the tiniest angels to the adult party guests danced with enthusiasm and joy. They were a delight to watch.
The show begins with "At the Party" with a cast of adult dancers and children. The children perform "Clara's Friends," "Children's March" and "Gallop" for the adults and the adults dance the "Reel," then everyone enjoys dances by "Drosselmeyer's Presents": Emily Assaley as the Harlequin Doll, Abigail Hensley as the Ballerina Doll and Taylor Massie as the acrobatic Gypsy Doll. Each doll dances for the enthralled children. The younger children in their pajamas dance "Lullaby" with their teddy bears. After the children are sent to bed the adults do the "Drinking Dance."
Once everyone has left and the house is dark, Clara slips in to look at the Nutcracker doll and falls asleep in a chair. She is quickly surrounded by mice and the Rat King. The Christmas tree magically grows and the Nutcracker doll becomes life-sized to do battle with the Rat King. This dance is very dark with colored designs playing across the floor, another example of the stellar lighting effects of this production.
Clara is led to the land of the snow by her Guardian Angel, danced by Rebekah Finlay. The angel is beautiful and gracefully leads Clara into the "Waltz of the Snowflakes."
Normally in a production this magnificent it would be hard to select one performance as the most outstanding, but the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" is truly breathtaking. The stage is filled with beautiful dancers, including the Snow Queen, Clara and the Nutcracker Prince. As the dancers twirl and leap, snow falls and covers the stage. The lighting is stunning and this dance is the loveliest of them all.
After an intermission, the dancing is in the "Land of Sweets" beginning with the "Waltz of the Flowers" featuring McKenzie Ross as "Dew Drop." This is another large number with a stage full of dancers in beautiful purple and blue costumes. Clara is presented with "Gifts" by the "Sweets" and a dance by the "Baby Angels," the tiniest of the tiny dancers who are adorable in their white and gold dresses.
Clara and her Prince are treated to dances of "Reed Pipes," "Tea from China" featuring a brilliantly colored dragon, "Chocolate," "Coffee" and "Trepak." "Mother Ginger (Laura Finley) and Snaps" is a lighthearted dance with the younger children who leap and cartwheel around until the last one is carried off by Mother Ginger.
The "Sugarplum Suite" is the gorgeous pas de deux by Molly Daniel and Donald Laney. They are magnificent together and this dance is so beautifully done that you never want it to end. But end it must, and the dancers come back for the "Finali."
The Guardian Angel guides Clara back to her home, where she awakens in her chair to find everything back to normal and wonders if it was real or all a dream.
Huntington Dance Theatre's production of "The Nutcracker" gets better each year and is always a delightful part of the holiday season.
The pictures that appear here and many more are available at the following website: http://lloydphotography.ifp3.com/.
Share This Story:
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