Fourteen full-scale performances of the Nutcracker ballet marked the 12th anniversary of the holiday dance tradition on the Sunshine Coast, as two unique productions packed audiences into venues in Sechelt and Gibsons last weekend.
At the Raven’s Cry Theatre, the Waldorf Ballet rendition presented six stagings of the ballet, which originally debuted in 1892 in St. Petersburg with music by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The all-local company of the Waldorf version included studio dance instructor Jennifer Helland as the enigmatic Drosselmeyer, whose gift of a wooden nutcracker to his niece Clara launches a dreamlike journey of transformation and imagination.
Over eight performances at the Heritage Playhouse, dancers united under the banner of the Sunshine Coast Youth Dance Association welcomed professional artist Miguel Nguyen, who appeared in the original Sunshine Coast Nutcracker.
It was in 2012 that Kathleen and David Holmes mounted the inaugural local version of the ballet. The distinct Sechelt and Gibsons interpretations began in the midst of the pandemic years.
Both casts spend months in preparation and rehearsal for the shows.
“Every year the production grows and improves as the dancers mature and evolve,” said Johanna Waldorf, who directed the Sechelt production at the Raven’s Cry Theatre. “With carefully selected casting and choreography we pride ourselves on highlighting each dancer to their fullest potential each season. For example, this year we were delighted to give Tanner Mitchell a brand-new role as the Spanish Messenger who helped introduce Clara to the Kingdom of Sweets.”
Mitchell also appeared as a comic butler and high-flying Russian dancer — alongside Brooklyn Turner, Annah Kotai, Gracelyn Mailey, Sophie Cimbala, Morgan Richmond and Adele Dubin.
Cast members Turner, Kotai, Waverlee Meisinger, and Audrey Altenburg will be attending their first international-level competition in January at the Youth America Grand Prix in Seattle, performing solos and a group piece as well as receiving instructions from seasoned adjudicators.
Mentorship was a fixture of both productions. For the Waldorf version, Royal Academy of Dance instructor Cassandra Lai served as rehearsal director. Lai trained in classical ballet in Australia before moving to Vancouver to study and perform with Coastal City Ballet, and now works with the Waldorf studio to ready dancers for performances, festivals, competitions and examinations.
Producers of the Gibsons show sent returning guest performer Ebhlin Minatsis to train at Miguel Nguyen’s Northern Institute of Dance in Prince George before the pair dazzled audiences as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier.
“A lot of my form of teaching is showing by example,” said Nguyen. “I’ve been teaching warm-up classes and some workshops with the dancers here in Gibsons, but I believe that my form of teaching and my form of mentorship is showing them what it’s like to be a professional: how to prepare for a performance, the exercises or routines that I go through. The kids, especially the older ones like the advanced dancers, see that and they understand what it takes.”
Both productions also presented to select classes from School District 46.
Many leads appeared in multiple or shared roles — Connor Dixon depicted Drosselmeyer, the Snow King, and an Arabian Prince at all eight Gibsons performances. Four different dancers embodied Clara during its run: Annabelle Urgban, Isabella Watts, Meg Greenfield and Brianna Clarke. Meanwhile, in Sechelt, Acesea Enga and Audrey Altenburg traded Clara duties; Waverlee Meisinger and Annah Kotai alternated as Snow Queen; and Gracelyn Mailey and Brooklyn Turner portrayed the Sugar Plum.
“The part that’s really heartwarming for us is seeing dancers grow and advance,” said Zoe Barbaro, director of the Youth Dance Association performances. “Eibhlin [Minatsis, this year’s Sugar Plum Fairy] was an angel in her first entry role in Nutcracker. Watching her grow up then seeing the next generation coming in and sharing that experience is probably one of the most heartwarming pieces.” Darrow Purjue, a tap-dancing mouse in earlier years, graduated to the role of Fritz while sharing the stage with his sister Tlell, who played the Mouse King (in addition to Caelynn Wilson Tyabji).
“Nutcracker continues to unite the community and inspire all ages with the magic of the holiday season,” observed Waldorf after the conclusion of her group’s final performance.
