Many may have seen or at least heard of the Nutcracker, and this holiday season the classical ballet returns to Eugene at the Hult Center with performances from the Eugene Ballet Company Dec. 19-24.
Toni Pimble, artistic director of Eugene Ballet, leads a team of dancers from youth to professionals as they recreate this Christmas classic to live music played by Orchestra Next.
Early on in his career, Pimble performed in Germany, where the Nutcracker is originally from. “You would think the Nutcracker was popular there, but actually it was not very much,” Pimble said. She said that something about Nutcracker in the US is special; it is rooted in family traditions.
After one performance, a mother told Pimble that her family decided not to spend money on Christmas shopping but instead to come see Nutcracker for the first time to “treat” themselves. “There are so many personal stories around this production,” Pimble said.
Pimble and Riley Grannan founded the Eugene Ballet Company in 1978, and “it was seed and a plant at first,” Pimble said. When it first opened, the company couldn’t afford to pay for dancers, now it has 24 paid professional dancers and five seasonal shows at the Hult Center as well as one in Alaska. “It is like a big family,” Pimble said.
The production is a team effort and certain roles will rotate each show. Clara, the Nutcracker’s protagonist, will be played by Hayley Tavonatti on Dec. 19, Koatsu Yashima on Dec. 20, Nina Nicotera and Sarah Kosterman on Dec. 21, and so on. The cast will feature professional dancers alongside students and aspiring dancers.
Eugene Ballet Company is not the only entity bringing future artists to the stage. Of the 60 musicians performing at the Nutcracker with Orchestra Next, 40 are students. Brian McWhorter, the director of the Orchestra Next, founded Orchestra Next in 2012 to serve two main purposes: to make live music possible and provide opportunities for aspiring dancers to gain professional experience.
“We are a training orchestra,” McWhorter said.
Orchestra Next specializes in collaborating with other organizations and artists, and the Nutcracker cast features musicians from all over the country.
McWhorter has conducted over 100 Nutcracker productions in his career, and he said that Nutcracker is “incredible” because the music is so “emotive.” It consists of parts of fairytale dreams, intense fight scenes and beautiful romance, he said.
Ballet productions may often capture audiences’ attention to the dancers, however, McWhorter calls attention to the impact live music can add onto the production.
“It’s like going to your in-person classes after taking online courses during the pandemic,” McWhorter said. “Live music is like having a real conversation, and being personal.”
The connection between the live music and the dancers makes for a more authentic, emotional experience. “Dancers said they feel better and dance better to live music,” McWhorter said.
The tickets are available at Hult Center online with prices starting from $25 to $50.
