Westside Ballet Returns To Live Stage For First Time In Two Years With THE NUTCRACKER

Westside Ballet of Santa Monica has a special holiday gift for the LA area.

The company is returning to the live stage for the first time in two years with six performances of The Nutcracker on Nov. 27-28 and Dec. 4-5.

The whole family can expect to be entranced once more by the production's lavish scenes and costumes, from the Victorian Christmas party to the Kingdom of Sweets, as world-class professional dancers perform alongside pre-professional and student performers.

After the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to live performances,"Words cannot describe how thrilled we are to finally return to The Broad Stage, which has been our home stage since 2013," said Martine Harley, Westside Ballet's artistic director. "There is truly nothing like sharing the exquisite artistry of our production and talent of our dancers with the greater Santa Monica community."

Westside's Nutcracker, SoCal's longest-running production of the holiday classic, debuted nearly five decades ago.

Harley said audiences are eager to once more "experience the ballet they've loved for so long, especially after our 2020 hiatus from the stage which had us creating an innovative black box theater in our studio in order to perform an abbreviated and virtual performance for families."

This year's Westside production preserves its most treasured traditional characters and scenes: the tree that grows, a firing cannon, and falling snow over a corps de ballet of glittering snowflakes. Children's roles include party children, mice, and soldiers.

Santa Monica native Daniella Zhou, 17, now in her first season in the Pre-Professional Division at Miami City Ballet, will make her debut in the principal role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Zhou danced with Westside Ballet for nine years.

"Daniella's stellar ballet acumen is unquestionably, in part, a product of Westside's exceptional training and artistic staff," Harley said. "She ascended through the levels by her natural talent, combined with a strong work ethic, strength and sublime artistry."

Harley said Zhou "brings incredible variety and distinctive traits to whatever she dances. Her composure, grace, dedication, and humility - both on and off stage - are quite rare."

Zhou joins the long list of professional dancers who made their debuts in Westside's Nutcracker, including Harley, who has also danced for the Houston Ballet. Some of the others include Monique Meunier (NYCB, ABT); Anna Liceica (ABT); Joy Womack (Bolshoi Ballet and Kremlin Ballet Theater); Melissa Barak (NYCB, Los Angeles Ballet, Barak Ballet); Stayce Camparo (Kansas City Ballet); Andrew Veyette (NYCB); and Francis Veyette (Pennsylvania Ballet). Among the newest are Lucia Connolly (Joffrey Ballet); Molly Novak (Semperope Ballett, Boston Ballet); Severina Wong (Ballet West); and Broadway star Lyrica Woodruff (Anastasia the Musical).

Accompanying Zhou as the Sugar Plum Fairy's Cavalier is Principal Guest Artist Chasen Greenwood. Featured in Dancer Magazine as "one to watch" after completing a nationwide tour as soloist with State Street Ballet, Greenwood's choreography also won "Best Young Choreographer" at Regional America Southwest. Greenwood trained on full scholarship with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Ballet Austin and began his career performing with LeAnn Rimes and in the national tour of the musical Casper.

Westside also welcomes back resident guest artists Evan Swenson (formerly with Houston Ballet) and esteemed character dancers Mark Anthony Lopez (former principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet) and Sven Toorvad (formerly with Houston Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Theater).

Sisters Jasmine and Kalea Harrison, juniors at Notre Dame Academy High School and two of Westside's most advanced dancers, will star in several of the main Nutcracker solo roles. They will share alternating performances as the Snow Queen. In addition, Jasmine debuts in the role of the Dew Drop Fairy, while Kalea debuts in the Arabian dance.

The 2021 production also showcases several elite male cast members from Westside School of Ballet's Boys Division. Santa Monica residents Sawyer Jordan and Dylan Weinstein share the stage in the newly re-choreographed Russian dance, showcasing their Olympic-level athleticism with high jumps and perfected ballet form.

"The Russian dance has always been an audience favorite," says Harley. "We are so proud of our advanced young male cast members, who train tirelessly - over 25 plus hours a week - and have mastered the exuberant Russian dance to a level usually reserved for one professional guest soloist."

Westside's Nutcracker interpretation is a close rendition of George Balanchine's classical ballet, which in turn was a homage to the original story first danced in 19th-century Russia to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's beloved score.

Westside's co-founder Yvonne Mounsey -who created the Nutcracker role of Center Spanish during the peak of her career as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet - brought the ballet to Los Angeles in 1973, adding her own unique choreography to the mix. Updates and adaptations to the production have been made under Harley's direction after she succeeded Mounsey in 2013.

"The goal is always to maintain the integrity of our cherished Nutcracker, and also keep it fresh and apropos for the current generations," Harley said.

To encourage continued support and celebrate Westside's return to The Board Stage, the performance company will release Nutcracker rehearsal footage previews on its social media channels for Giving Tuesday, 11/30..

The Westside Board of Directors is also offering a limited number of Nov. 20 VIP dress rehearsal tickets for select donors and community members to watch outside Studio 6, with mulled wine and winter hors d'oeuvres.

"We have survived - now it's time to thrive!" said Allegra Clegg, Westside School of Ballet's studio owner and daughter of co-founder Mounsey. "To be sure, the epidemic has disrupted the way the performing arts field has thought about dance. Like other nonprofit performing arts organizations, Westside Ballet had to embrace the concept of producing dance digitally to keep ballet alive in our community and to share with those who enjoy and support the art form. We have been so grateful to all the individual and foundational donors that were able to come forward in unprecedented ways to support our dance company and increase their giving through our Crisis Relief Campaign."

The Nutcracker will be performed at The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Show dates and times: Saturday, Nov. 27 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. All tickets are $50. Tickets may be purchased online at www.westsideballet.com or by phone (additional fees apply) at (800) 595 - 4849 (4TIX).

Westside Ballet Nutcracker Trailer 2021 from Westside Ballet on Vimeo.
 

Westside Ballet Nutcracker Trailer 2021 from Westside Ballet on Vimeo.