Empire Theatre, Eden Court, 28 February 2009

Kelly McCole who plays Dew Drop Fairy

BALLET WEST in Taynuilt, Argyll, is the only Highland-based residential school specialising in classical ballet. Their production of The Nutcracker was choreographed by the late Alexander Bennett in a style somewhat less demanding of the mixed ability of their dancers than the classical oeuvre of Tchaikovsky’s regular interpreter, Marius Petipa. Even so, to mount a full length classical ballet with so varying a company and such a limited budget is insanely brave and thus by definition completely commendable.

Act 1 played to the company’s strengths, evoking a Victorian Christmas card with some strong acting by Jonathan Barton and Emily Hughes-Lewis as Herr and Frau Stahlbaum, aided by a corps of children who made up in enthusiasm whatever they lacked in technique. Isabella Swietlicka impressed as Clara. To carry the majority of the narrative weight on 11-year old shoulders is no mean feat, and she has the advantage of a rare grace that makes you keep watching her.

Guest Artist Oleg Kozhanov was suitably charming and sinister by turns as Herr Drosselmeyer, performing real magic tricks to the delight of the younger members of the audience. Daisuke Miura as the ‘Jumping Jack’ Moorish doll and the Nutcracker Prince showed professional qualities of precision and elevation. The mice, in particular the winsome Baby Mouse (Rose Goddard) were very endearing and there were lots of amusing comic touches in the narrative.

Jenny Morrison’s rather heavy porte de bras in the ‘Snow’ pas de deux brought things down to earth, which was surprising as her strong, graceful Arabian dancer was one of the highlights of the second act.

During the ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ the elegantly costumed corps de ballet acquitted themselves strongly and gracefully during some manoeuvres which depended on precise timing, and this would have been another highlight – if only Kelly McCole’s Dew Drop Fairy could have brought herself to smile…

The heart of Act 2 is Tchaikovsky’s massive, heartstring-twanging, all-stops-pulled-out music for the two pas de deux, which cries out for something special in the choreography. In this case, Bennett had adopted the classic format of duets and alternating solos, which is an opportunity for some serious showing off by both performers. But where were the attitudes, extensions, leaps, lifts and turns? These were professional, adult dancers, after all.

The Sugar Plum Fairy (Polina Petkova) did not impress, and though her Cavalier Prince (Oleg Kozhanov) did slightly better in his solos, these pieces were both clunkily disappointing. It might have been better to ditch the strict format and remake them as less demanding group works and give the parents and families who comprised most of the audience additional opportunities to be proud of their young dancers.

© Jennie Macfie, 2009

Links

• Ballet West