Dance Reviews

Dec 15, 2001 - Nevada Festival Ballet's Borrowed "Nutcracker"

By Jack Neal

No doubt with visions of sugar plumbs dancing in their heads, the management gurus of Nevada Festival Ballet, a long-time Reno-based company, has borrowed this year's "Nutcracker" presentation from Nevada Ballet Theatre of Las Vegas lock, stock and sleigh.

In fact it's lock, stock and several sleighs, carriages and other production adornments that make what opened Friday (12/14/2001) at Reno's Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts a sure-fire first night at the theater for children as well as a welcome theatrical homecoming for adults.

The results are not unsatisfying, with average to excellent dancing, attractive sets, posh costumes, but - ultimately - no "Nutcracker" from Nevada Festival Ballet Reno can call its own. Where did most all the company's dancers go? Undoubtedly to the two to three other presentations the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area is hosting this holiday season. The veil of snow NFB has thrown around what has been its annual outing with Tchaikovsky's inspired music is nothing more than a public pretense that it still functions as a robust ballet company and not merely as a booking agency.

All that about the state of dance in Reno having been said - evidently Reno supporters of quality dance have largely abandoned NFB - how was the show Nevada Ballet Theatre of Las Vegas put on? Quite nice, really, but not brilliant.

French costume and set designer Alexandre Vassiliev has created an array of gorgeous costumes that dress NBT's "Nutcracker" handsomely. The Vassiliev sets the costumes play against are almost equally as lovely, an especially radiant Snow Kingdom and a shimmering Kingdom of Sweets that set off "Nutcracker's" vignettes of dance vividly.

Choreographer and NBT artistic director Bruce Steivel has conceived a "Nutcracker" that's mostly traditional, whatever traditional for "Nutcracker" is anymore (or ever was), with some nice twists, the cooking staff of Kingdom of Sweets made up of Big Cooks, Little Cooks and an assortment of Bon-Bons to name but one. The dancing of the children under Steivel's obviously disciplined supervision is more precise than usual and allows for battles of mice and toy soldiers and other juicy "Nutcracker" morsels to be less chaotic than sometimes occurs and more fun to watch than when it's just a bunch of kids running around and jumping up and down.

Steivel handles "Nutcracker's" big moments, such as all those children, with elan. In fact his approach to most all moments involving anything hinting at corps de ballet is exceptional. The Snow Flakes float as if on air, on and off and around and around, and manage all they do elegantly - as do the flowers in Waltz of the Flowers, creating a pastel bouquet of transcendent movement that's as lush as Tchaikovsky's fabled score.

The show-pieces of dance - Chinese, Spanish, Arabian, Russian, Mirelton's and Mother Ginger - for which "Nutcracker" is so endearingly famed, come off (as usual) as excellent (Arabian) or passable (Russian), depending on who's dancing and there's lots of double and triple casting in what NBT has imported. Heather Haar is a standout in the Arabian number as are Aragon Berner and Chris Brough who assist Haar with her remarkably limber and controlled exotic exercise in dance.

Regarding NBT's other principal dancers, Clara and Fritz, the children around whom this production swirls, are in the capable and fresh hands Kelsey Campbell and Andrew Zaninovich. As for the grown up ladies, Kiera Hansen - leggy and gracious - is a stunning Snow Queen and Natalia Chapourskaya - elegant of technique and poise - is a radiant Sugar Plumb Fairy. As for the grown up men the NBT has on its roster, Kyu Dong Kwak is a splendid Nutcracker come to life, then a superb Cavalier to Miss Chapourskaya's Sugar Plumb Fairy. "Nutcracker's" grand pas de deux is mastertuly managed by these two fine dancers and is an impressive climax to NBT's "Nutcracker," although the show's high flying ending is a delight all by itself.

Asher Raboy conducts what is called the Reno Philharmonic, but what is really some members (and some not members) of the Reno Phil who play a bit messy, if still lovely, rendition of what Tchaikovsky so eloquently penned. Raboy has to be given credit for being both an excellent accompanist to dance, and - oddly - a not very stable force for disciplining the musicians he's leading. Live music is, however, light years ahead of recorded music which anchors dancers and ballet productions in general to tempos and pacing that drains the presence out of dance.

Dispite such quibbles, this outing with "Nutcracker" comes close to being the enchantment it should be. There's very little entertainment these days that really has something for everyone, but unless you're afraid of tutus, this collaboration between Nevada Festival Ballet of Reno and Nevada Ballet Theatre of Las Vegas is a holiday show to please all ages and most tastes.

The production, with several changes of cast, can be seen at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Saturday (12/15/2001) at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday (12/16/2001) at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. For information call 775-686-6600.