The Nutcracker National Ballet of Canada Choreography by James Kudelka Four Seasons Centre in Toronto on Friday
James Kudelka's The Nutcracker debuted in 1995. That means I've seen this National Ballet of Canada production at least 15 times. There are, however, some years when I caught several different casts, so my total viewings lie somewhere between 20 and 25. That's a lot of Nutcrackers.
What keeps the ballet fresh is Kudelka's vision. His Nutcracker has to be the largest and most complex on the planet in terms of personnel and choreography. It also is the most opulent thanks to Santo Loquasto's glorious sets and costumes that place the ballet in 19th-century tsarist Russia.
It is very clear that even though the dual role of Peter the stable boy/Nutcracker (Zdenek Konvalina) is given difficult solo and partner work, the virtuoso dancer, in terms of imperial style showy tricks, is Uncle Nikolai (Piotr Stanczyk). Both men acquitted themselves superbly. Konvalina is every inch a prince, while Stanczyk displayed formidable technique, particularly in his rapid-fire jump turns.
Kudelka has given the Sugar Plum Fairy (Bridgett Zehr ) pin-point footwork. Zehr is such a consummate classicist that she was able to bring wonderful clarity to her solo, and through her consistent placement, one could really see the intricacies of the leg, feet, knee and hip positionings.
The other major roles are the Snow Queen (Xiao Nan Yu) and her Icicles (McGee Maddox and Aarik Wells) who perform a killer trio. Kudelka has made this Land of Snow choreography crisp and cool to mirror the weather, and Yu, as always, was wonderfully imperious as she executed her cutting moves with surgical precision.
It was a pleasure to see two men who perform with the same musicality. Maddox and Wells were always in sync as they seamlessly manipulated Yu through their challenging partnering. It was as if two danced as one. The men were also the swains to Stephanie Hutchison and Krista Dowson in the Arabian Coffee divertissement, and this magnificent quartet featured four dancers in near-perfect harmony.
Rebekah Rimsay as Baba, the children's nurse, doesn't have a lot of dancing to do, but she was a warm presence throughout the ballet.
The Nutcracker always involves children, no matter who the choreographer is, but I doubt that there is a professional production anywhere that depends so heavily on the younger set as Kudelka's version. Canada's National Ballet School supplies the bulk of the young dancers, but a staggering 46 schools, both private and public, elementary and secondary, are also involved as dogs, cats and mice. As well. there's the off-stage voices of the VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto who add their vocalise to the Land of Snow scene.
The squabbling siblings, Marie (Anastasia Kornienkova) and Misha (Joel Exposito) are at the heart of the ballet. The children travel with the Nutcracker on the magic journey, and these talented students from the Ballet School are given the final bow, which acknowledges their importance in the production.
There was some last minute drama concerning the opening night cast. Siphe November was originally scheduled to dance Misha. He is the young ballet discovery from a poor South African township who was recently profiled in The Globe. Unfortunately, at the dress rehearsal, November was a little too enthusiastic leaping from the bed, and suffered a hairline fracture in his leg. He may perform in some of the later dates at the end of the run, but what a disappointment it must be to him.
The National Ballet's The Nutcracker continues at the Four Seasons Centre until Jan. 2.