Some stellar names in the Canadian dance world have appeared in the Prince George cast of The Nutcracker. Another set of principal local dancers is about to add their names and their potential to that list.
Every two years, choreographer and instructor Judy Russell stages this holiday classic. The Nutcracker has been a ballet and orchestra favourite for decades, especially on the strength of the original score by Tchaikovsky and its basis on the beloved short story by E.T.A. Hoffman.
Its world debut was in 1892. It has been a biennial tradition in Prince George since 1991.
Some of the local dancers who have been in the Judy Russell cast then went on to professional status includes Christopher Larsen, Juanita Vaillancourt, Eira Glover, her brother Cai Glover, Tristan Ghostkeeper, Matthew Cluff, and many more.
This year the main roles are assigned to Kieran Yip as The Prince, the role of Clara shared between Kate McGowan and Madison Hill (her second time as the female lead), the Snow Queen/Sugar Plum portrayed by Jenna Magrath and Kennedy Heitman, and Snow King/Cavalier portrayed by Steven Buchanan. All these teens will be in amongst a number of children and mature veterans (the most prominent of these is Shawn Petriw as Uncle Drosselmeyer) alike making up the supporting roles and chorus.
All these dancers know they are performing as part of the legacy left by the talented dancers who came before them, who affected the choreography and blocking of the action on the stage. Russell's original 1991 design is not what is seen today, after all that evolution, and this year's cast also caused changes as Russell rebooted to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of this year's group. It happens that way every two years.
This cast also knows they are being carefully watched even subliminally by the younger dancers who are already dreaming of sugar plums in their performance future.
"A lot of stuff is coming back to me, but there is a different Prince this year, Judy's made some changes, so I have to relearn a lot of it," said Hill, the sole dancer returning to a previous year's role. She's grateful for a second crack at Clara, to flesh out some of what she was getting close to in 2013. "I love to act, so I really want to get into the role of how The Prince and Clara are in love. I think I can do that, this year, since I have a bit of a head start. But there are some dumb pirouettes I want to finally nail," she added, rolling her eyes in mock frustration.
McGowan said she was stunned to hear she had been given the Clara role as well.
"It's been fun, but it's been stressful," she said.
"Many tears," Hill said.
"I didn't know I could cry over so many different emotions," said Magrath.
Yip was stoic but admitted he was emotional, too, about getting the role of The Prince after watching the performances of so many others he's looked up to over his formative dance years.
"I have wanted to be The Prince for a long time. It has been my dream," he said. "My very first time in The Nutcracker was when Izaac Smith was The Prince (Smith went on to be a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance Canada and co-star in the movie A Fighting Man, among his growing credits). That was a huge experience for me, but I didn't realize I could actually be The Prince until I saw Matthew Cluff's performance, and I was older then, and something told me that if I worked hard at it, it could be me. That was in 2009, and it was a big inspiration for me."
Cluff, now with Ballet Victoria, just finished performing as The Prince during Kirkwood Academy's production of The Nutracker at Nanaimo's Port Theatre.
Buchanan has had a couple of substantial stage experiences this past year. He was also one of the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music before delving into The Nutcracker.
"That is more singing, talking, body language, voice inflection, those skills. You have to be expressive," he said. "But when you're doing a bunch of pirouettes and trying to look graceful, you have to work hard to hide the stress you're feeling. It's acting of a different kind."
"It's a lot of work and a lot harder than I thought it was going to be," said Magrath, "but the enjoyment is so big. You get to be right in the middle of those moments so many people know. Everyone knows The Nutcracker. So to bring it to life for people and make that real for people is so exciting."
"If you mess up in a group number, that can be hidden, but when you mess up as Sugar Plum, you're totally alone and exposed, so it stands out," said Heitman. "That's an exciting feeling - scared and fun at the same time. And I love that it's two roles in one, because Snow Queen has some sassiness and Sugar Plum is sweet and bubbly. We get to be both."
It has caused them all to be distant, lately, from their usual circles of friends at school (between them all they attend PGSS, Duchess Park, Kelly Road and DP Todd secondary schools). Rehearsals have been all-consuming. They all expressed relief that those friends can now come to see the show and find out what all their absences were about.
Each of them disclosed things that had improved for them personally even just during the rehearsal process for these heavy roles. Yip said he had grown physically stronger after doing all the lift practices with his two Clara partners. Several admitted they were now much less afraid of the challenges posed by the pas de deux (a feature duet) style of dancing The Nutracker forces on these characters.
"It has helped me feel better about myself as a dancer and as a person," said McGowan. "We have all dreamed of this since we were little kids, so it feels like we have all been helped by our closest friends."
"I've gained a lot of confidence and I got to see the growth that happens when you work hard at something," said Heitman. "You get something special when you have a main role and you take on the responsibility of what that really means, to put on the best show you possibly can for people, because everyone around you is working so hard to make it beautiful. You have the responsibility of telling a good story and making sure the audience is engaged."
"I definitely underestimated myself," Magrath admitted. "I'm doing so much more than I thought I could. You get to show everyone a show, but you are showing yourself what you can become when you work hard."
"I want to say, as well, how lucky we are - how crazily lucky - that we all get this chance in Prince George," said Hill. "We have something special here not a lot of other communities have. We all get to have this amazing experience on stage, so we can take that with us wherever we go in our lives."
"If you do go on to try the professional world, you have a better sense of what that feels like, and what's expected of you," said Magrath.
"And you get a diverse experience," added Hill. "We dance a lot, but we also have to sing a little, act a little, be in front of a big audience not just in a studio."
"It is different when you are in a principal role. I see that now," said Buchanan. "A lot of people in the audience are going to see their six-year-old grandkid in one of the party scenes, or whatever, but we are expected to deliver the goods. You have to live up to those expectations the crowd has, and you have to live up to the expectations your teachers have trained you for."
The Nutcracker runs Dec. 18, 19 (two shows) and 20 (two shows) at Vanier Hall. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m., matinee performances at 2 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now at Studio 2880 and have already been doing a brisk business. Buying early is recommended.
