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Still weeks away from Christmas, this weekend brought the Maine Center for the Arts an annual tradition. The Bangor Symphony Orchestra and the Robinson Ballet Company, with some assistance from the Bangor Children’s Choir, performed the holiday classic “The Nutcracker” for three nearly sold out crowds.
With new scenes, new choreography and some outstanding dancers in new parts, the show was an amazing success. The guest conductor with the BSO for the weekend was Marc David, current Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for an orchestra in Quebec and the Newfoundland Symphony.
The very first scene showed the revamped choreography. Instead of RBC’s traditional “walk to the party” by the guests, instead Godfather Drosselmeyer is shown in his workshop with a few of his magnificent lifelike dolls. With help from his playful mice, we were given a glimpse of the magic that the story and show would present to us.
The beginning of the party scene introduced the proper and sophisticated president and Frau Silberhaus, parents of Clara and Fritz. This year the role of Clara was played by Amanda Fahey, who successfully managed to bring to our attention the dreaminess and the enormous imagination that the character is known for. Patrick Taylor, cast in the role of Fritz, showed the mischievousness that is found in many younger brothers.
When Drosselmeyer arrived, played by Keith Robinson, co-artistic director of RBC, so did some of his mystifying creations. Ian Robinson as the Tin Soldier proved himself to be a young dancer to keep an eye on; he appears as a soloist later in the ballet as the Snow Prince, a Spaniard and in the Waltz of the Flowers.
The Harlequin Dolls delighted the little girls both on and off the stage, but the most outstanding of the toy dolls sprang out of a box into a combination of turns and jumps. The Jack in the Box, a new role for RBC, delighted the crowd and put Riley Watts in everyone’s heads to pay attention to for the rest of the ballet.
The party scene winded down and transformed into a beautiful snow scene. The Snow Queen, played by Rebecca Breau, accompanied by Robinson, danced with her snowflakes and showed Clara through the enchanting forest. The Bangor Children’s Choir assisted the dancers in this scene by adding the voice chords that help make the snow more captivating.
The second act brought nothing but more excitement and phenomenal dancing. In the world of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara sat atop her candy throne and was delighted by the dancers from every area of the world.
Most notable in these short dances were the hysterical antics of the lambs in Reed Flutes, the flowing, precise and beautiful dancing of the Dew Drop Fairy, Erica Schweikert and the flowing Arab dance, in which soloist, veteran of the Sugar Plum Fairy role and co-artistic director, Maureen Lynch took over the stage with her obvious presence.
Breau cast her “ballerina” style off and joined the boys as the only female for this action-packed dance. She showed herself to be one to watch, and at only 16 years old, she’ll surely be around in years to come.
Once again, Watts made a standout performance, leaping and throwing himself into unbelievable acrobatics across the stage. This first-timer in the Nutcracker certainly earned his keep judging by the insane yells and applause from the audience. Bound for the renowned dance school Walnut Hill in Natick, Mass., Watts is sure to go far in the dance world.
The music soon softened and Stephanie Dunham and Caleb McGary, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier, soon appeared. Performing these leading roles at the travel sites last year, the directors of RBC decided this year that the couple was ready to perform at home. Though both only in high school, they danced with the grace and style of any professional that may have appeared on the stage. Looking handsome together, the couple performed the famous pas de deux, “dance of two” and wowed the audience.
All too soon the ballet ended and the cast was taking their bows. Thunderous applause started the instant the entire company entered the stage. Some may say that changes can be rough at first, but the Robinson Ballet Company and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra put on a show better than ever before. We can only sit and wonder what they may do next year to top this flawless and wonderful show.
