At the first notes of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," visions of ballerinas on a Christmas adorned stage begin to dance in our heads. In keeping with tradition, three area ballets will share the story of Clara, her magical Nutcracker, the Snow Forest and the kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her magical Land of Sweets.
Royal Winnipeg Ballet at Walton Arts Center
"I have probably about eight different roles," says Katie Bonell, second soloist of Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company. "The great thing about 'The Nutcracker' shows is we have so many of them, that they do a lot of different casts, so that the dancers aren't doing exactly the same show every single time for a month. ... I'm at the point where I almost don't need to be taught the steps again!"
She joins the annual performance of the "The Nutcracker" at the Walton Arts Center, which includes a cast of 70 local children in various roles on stage.
"It's such a fun opportunity for any child who is dancing and involved in the arts to get a real taste of what it's like to be on the big stage and dance with the company dancers," Bonell says.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet will host one of its two North American auditions Jan. 23-24 at the Walton Arts Center for kids, teens and adults who want to join their company. Details are available at Royal Winnipeg Ballet's website.
There will be four performances of the ballet presented by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet from Nov. 26-27 at the Walton Arts Center. Tickets start at $20.
Western Arkansas Ballet
The Western Arkansas Ballet of Fort Smith is planning its 36th annual production of "The Nutcracker" Dec. 17-18 with guest artist Ashley Murphy-Wilson of The Washington Ballet of Washington, D.C., as the Sugar Plum Fairy and a cast of more than 100 local children and adults.
The Fort Smith tradition begins with a Sugar Plum Fairy Tea on Dec. 4 with "a lot of sugar" and activities for kids.
"They'll do an art project, a craft project, then some of our company dancers teach them choreography that's actually from the ballet ... and they get to perform it for the parents and the adults that are there," explains Melissa Schoenfeld, executive director of the Western Arkansas Ballet.
"They also get to take have their picture taken with the Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara," she adds. Schoenfeld has been with the Fort Smith Ballet company for 33 years and says she's danced many of the roles herself.
"Over the years that I've been with Western Arkansas Ballet, people tell me that this starts their Christmas season, when they go see 'The Nutcracker,'" she says. Tickets to both the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea and the production of the ballet are available at waballet.org
NWA Conservatory of Classical Ballet
The Northwest Arkansas Conservatory of Classical Ballet is excited to share "The Nutcracker" for the 10th year at Arend Arts Center. They will be joined Dec. 2-3 by dancers from the NWA Ballet Theatre for this performance.
"This is really special for us," says Jennifer Davis, artistic director for "The Nutcracker" and school principal of the conservatory. "Close to half of our students are actually involved in the production. We have guest artists from NWA Ballet Theatre, which is a professional company here in Northwest Arkansas ... We've got about 156 area youth student dancers, we've got our professional guest artists, and then we've got a handful of adult character artists that join us, so our cast is about 185 people strong."
Davis says that she's lost count of how many iterations of ballet production that she's been involved in -- both as a dancer and later in many of the production roles. She says each performance has been different.
"It's really dear to my heart because it's been something that our community can really embrace being a part of."
“For me, 'The Nutcracker is such a holiday tradition. The music is so recognizable,” says Katie Bonnell, second soloist for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. “At the root of it, it’s a really beautiful story that’s full of magic that is really accessible for anybody, whether you’re 4 years old and going to see a ballet for the first time with your family, or whether you’re 74 years old and going back to see something that you’ve watched your entire life. It’s just such a beautiful story that I think really brings people together.” (Courtesy Photo)
The NWA Conservatory of Classical Ballet with artists from NWA Ballet will present "The Nutcracker" Dec. 2-3 at the Arend Arts Center in Bentonville. (Courtesy Photo/Katie Cole Photography)