As a dancer, Brianna Jones performed in many productions of Southwest Washington Dance Center’s “Nutcracker,” so she knows what the annual Christmas ballet means to her dancers.
After two seasons without a “Nutcracker,” dancers from the Chehalis studio are more than ready to perform for a live audience, said Jones, artistic director for this year’s “Escape to the Land of the Sweets” from the Nutcracker Ballet.
“It’s exciting and it’s a little overwhelming since this is the first ‘Nutcracker’ we’ve had in two years,” Jones said of preparing the show. “The amount of energy all of the dancers have is over the top. Everyone is so excited to get back on the stage and present this show.”
Southwest Washington Dance Center’s “Escape to the Land of the Sweets” will show Dec. 16-19 at Corbet Theatre in Washington Hall on the Centralia College Campus. Arranged by Jones, it is a condensed version of “The Nutcracker” featuring the same beloved characters from the classic Christmas ballet including: Clara (danced by Capri O’Neill and Eva Reynolds); her naughty brother Fritz (danced by Robyn Prescott); magical godfather Drosselmeier (danced by Scott Middleton); Nutcracker Prince (danced by Adrien Zimmer and Tanner Calder); Rat King (danced by Mathew March); and the Sugar Plum Fairy (danced by Hannah Feaster, Angela March, Myah O’Neill and Ava Meller) and her Cavalier (danced by Gideon Newkirk and Adrien Zimmer). Jones explained that the premise of the story is that Clara is facing a very different Christmas season with less friends and family able to gather together. Drosselmeier is concerned that Clara has lost her Christmas spirit, so he transports her to the land of the sweets so she can find it once more.
“I wanted to make something that was really fitting that people could relate to this year,” Jones said of the storyline.
Southwest Washington Dance Center’s Christmastime performance of “Nutcracker” is typically the non-profit’s largest fundraiser for the year. The last full-length “Nutcracker” performance for Southwest Washington Ballet was in 2019. The “Stay at Home, Stay Healthy” order from Gov. Jay Inslee in March 2020 took place just five days before when the Chehalis dance studio was to host its annual Dance Festival Northwest. The December 2020 “Nutcracker” performance would have been the 25th anniversary performance of the show, but was canceled because of ongoing restrictions on live performances and large gatherings. Instead, the dance center offered a virtual show called “Home for the Holidays: The Joy of Social Distancing” last Christmas season.
Marcia Greenfield, administrative director for Southwest Washington Dance Center said last year’s virtual Christmas show was undertaken solely to support their dancers, who were grieving the loss of their annual performance and the chance to dance together.
“That was to keep up everybody’s spirits because it’s very discouraging,” Greenfield said.
While gatherings are again possible, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the reason for a slightly different Christmas show yet again, Greenfield explained. Southwest Washington Dance Center closed twice during the height of the pandemic and lost some dancers during that time. Dancers have now returned to a new normal which includes smaller classes, social distancing and dancing with masks and many of them are still working to regain lost training time. Greenfield said the center was unsure a full “Nutcracker” was possible this year but they knew they needed to offer some sort of show for a live audience.
“It’s pretty amazing and people are so hungry for it and the kids are really energized for it,” Greenfield said of the upcoming “Escape from the Land of the Sweets.”
“When we first opened back up and (the dancers) came here it almost made you cry because they were happy to see their friends again,” she said.
Casting for “Nutcracker” usually takes place in August and at that time this year, they still did not know if their usual venue of Corbet Theatre would be available for them to use, Jones added.
“We wanted to be able to create a show we could produce at any theater, just in case,” said Jones.
“Escape from the Land of the Sweets” will feature about 75 dancers instead of more than 100 usually featured in “Nutcracker.” The different show did present the opportunity to add some pieces that audiences may not be expecting. Jones said while “Nutcracker” is typically a classical ballet show, “Escape to the Land of the Sweets” will feature different dance genres including: the Acro team of Ava McGregor, Kyndra Hillock, Dhredyn Hadley, Kaitlyn Gill, Lily Bradley, Gracie Elam and Kate Mordick performing as the Russian Dancers; Modern dancers Amanda Brossard, Erin Jennings, Emma Rasku, Christina Hill, Myah O’Neill, Angela March, Hannah Feaster and Capri O’Neill taking on the Arabian troupe; and Jazz students Amanda Brossard and Ava Meller dancing Spanish.
Greenfield said having an abbreviated version of “Nutcracker” this year is also a nod to the fact that the 25th anniversary performance of “Nutcracker” was canceled in 2020. She said they are not calling this year’s the 25th show, but are waiting to celebrate that milestone hopefully next year when they are able to have a full cast and a full version of the show. Greenfield said they choose to focus on the positives, rather than dwell on the negatives of the situation. She noted that many arts organizations were hit hard by COVID and she feels lucky that Southwest Washington Dance Center was able to apply for COVID relief money that allowed them to keep their doors open and the dancers dancing.
“It’s just been devastating to the arts world, so the fact that we’re still here is really wonderful,” Greenfield said.
If You Go …
What: Southwest Washington Dance Center Presents “Escape to the Land of the Sweets” from The Nutcracker Ballet
When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16-17; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18; and 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Live-stream viewing will also be available for the 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 shows
Where: Corbet Theatre in Washington Hall on the Centralia College Campus
Tickets: $24 adults, $16 seniors/under 18/military and $20 for live stream access
Info: swwdance.org
