By Darlene Brace
Get yourself into the holiday spirit by attending the classic Christmas story ballet The Nutcracker, which will be presented by the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet (CRYB) at the Reg Lenna in downtown Jamestown. The Nutcracker performances have been a holiday tradition in this area for over twenty years. This year’s magical performances will take place December 6th from 7pm-9pm and December 8th matinee from 3pm-5pm, with an intermission between two acts.
The classic ballet story of The Nutcracker is based on the fairytale written by ETA Hoffman from the 19th century, and the music was composed by Tchaikovsky. The story is told through dance with no singing or speaking. As the ballet unfolds, the main character, Clara, receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas from Herr Drosselmyer. That night while sleeping, she dreams that the nutcracker doll comes to life. Together they embark on a fantasy journey that includes The Battle with the Mice and features a journey to The Land of Sweets as well as other intriguing scenes. It is an alluring and entertaining ballet filled with excitement, fluctuating music, and amazing choreographed dance performances that will keep you enchanted.
The CRYB started the Nutcracker ballet in Jamestown in 1995, and Monika Alch has been the CRYB’s artistic director since1999. She stated that audiences will be impressed with the caliber of performances of all the cast, including the CRYB ballet students. This year’s cast will be highlighted by professional guest artists from the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Kamala Saara will portray the Sugar Plum Fairy and Kouadio Davis as her Cavalier. The role of Clara will be performed by Charley Marshall, the Nutcracker Prince will be Yahir McFaline, and Michael Petterson will play the role of Herr Drosselmyer. Arehlyn Pattison portrays the Dew Drop Queen, and the Snow Queen will be Gracie Watkins. Other soloists will be Isabella Wilder, Paisley Wilson, and Freya Holland. Special guest performers also include Mike Cerwinski as Mother Ginger, Michael Hall CHQ as the party host, and Samantha Britton as Grandmother.
The complete cast consists of approximately sixty people from across Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania. Of the sixty cast members, about forty of them are children aged 4 years old and up. The ballet’s auditions occur each year in early September, and after roles are chosen rehearsals begin. The cast rehearses for several hours on Saturdays and Sundays, and individuals rehearse at private lessons during the week. The rehearsals start in September and continue until the day before the show begins.
Each year the CRYB also puts on a morning performance for field trips for area school children’s groups to attend. This year, the morning school performance will be on Friday, December 6th at 10am. School groups from around the county attend these performances, and this year hundreds of children are already signed up to attend. This is a great opportunity for school age children to attend these performances as an enjoyable exposure to the arts that many area children might not otherwise have.
CRYB would like to thank the New York State Council on the Arts, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Oliver G. & Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts for their support in helping to make this ballet continue in Jamestown.
To attend this year’s performances, you can purchase tickets online at reglenna.com or by calling the Reg Lenna Box Office at 716-484-7070. This is a very popular show, so purchase your tickets now before the ballet gets sold out. You can also call this number to arrange groups for the school performance on December 6th.
The Nutcracker ballet, presented by the Chautauqua Region Youth Ballet, is an amazing timeless Christmas tradition that has been entertaining audiences in the area for many years. From the professional guest artists to the youngest cast members, they all rehearse for weeks in preparation to put on a mesmerizing ballet for the audiences. The Nutcracker is magical and exhilarating, and the music sets the mood for each dance scene that tells the story. Whether it’s your first time seeing The Nutcracker or if you have had the privilege of experiencing this ballet previously, you are sure to enjoy the magical ballet of The Nutcracker.
Captions: The group pictures are from last year’s performances. The Nutcracker’s Clara
picture is from this year’s cast… Charley Marshall as Clara. She is a student of the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet.