FARMINGTON – Dozens of young dancers take the stage at Bjorn Auditorium this weekend for the Nutcracker, a fresh spin on the classic ballet.
This is the first full ballet production that the Thomas Performing Arts Center in Farmington has assembled, and it is well worth a visit.
The ballet opens with Clara’s affectionate parents putting the final touches on the Christmas tree. Clara and her mischievous brother enter to open gifts; much to Clara’s delight, she receives a beautiful nutcracker doll.
The soundtrack for the performance contains a number of musical surprises. Instead of the classical pieces originally composed for the ballet, Jessica Thomas and her fellow dance teachers created an instrumental soundtrack featuring a number of contemporary holiday songs. For example, Clara dances a solo to the instrumental rendition of ‘All I Want For Christmas’ while holding the Nutcracker.
Jessica notes that classical music can sometimes feel monotonous to the audience; she wanted to make the show relatable, so arranged a custom soundtrack. The combination of young dancers, classic decorations and costumes, and more modern tunes makes for a unique performance that is both tasteful and exciting.
In keeping with the story of the original performance, Clara’s brother snatches away the Nutcracker and damages it. Later that night, while Clara sleeps, the Nutcracker comes to life, only to be threatened by the Rat King. The Nutcracker and his group of soldiers battle the Rat King and his horde of rats, finally defeating them all and dragging the king unceremoniously off the stage.
As she enters Dreamland, Clara finds her Nutcracker, who escorts her through the realm. She meets the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy, along with candy canes, snowflakes, stars, twinkling lights, angels, and gingerbread people.
The performers are students at the Thomas Performing Arts Center in Farmington, and they all live in the Franklin County area.
Mallory Merrill, 13, plays Clara. Mallory has been dancing for 11 years. She delivers a range of emotions with her role, from delight to sorrow to a wide-eyed wonder as she wanders through Dreamland.
Abbie Packard plays the mother and Ben Hilton plays the father. Abbie is 14 and has been dancing for 11 years, while Ben is 16 and has been dancing for nine years. The two bring a convincing parental presence to the stage, scolding the bothersome brother while comforting the distraught Clara.
Kyedn Thomas, 18, has been dancing for 13 years. Kyedn offers an animated performance as the mischievous brother.
Dylan Thomas, 16, brings life to the Nutcracker. Dylan has been dancing for just 4 years, but nothing in his performance would suggest that.
Rhett Sexton-Burchfield is 15 years old, has been dancing for six years, and plays the wicked and cunning Rat King.
The ethereal Snow Queen is portrayed by Emma Jo Latham. Emma is 14 and has been dancing for 11 years.
Graceful and sweet, Faith Maurais, 16, plays the Sugar Plum Fairy. Like many of her fellow principal performers, she has been dancing for 11 years.
The ensemble includes dancers from ages four to eighteen. The very youngest are stars, glittering gold on stage. Three little candy canes take the stage as well in a beautiful peppermint swirl. More than a dozen gingerbread dancers, along with snowflakes and angels, all have special dances throughout Dreamland.
One special touch are the festive lights, a dozen or so young dancers garbed in black and draped in strands of lights. The lights dim for this dance, allowing the audience to better see the movement of the performers.
This is the first full ballet production that the Thomas Performing Arts Center has put on. Jessica hopes to make it an annual event and to involve more of the community.
The ballet will be performed at the Bjorn Auditorium on the Mt. Blue Campus on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 11 a.m.
