Tchaikovsky’s delicate and familiar “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” deftly accented with the sound of bells is a Christmas classic.
Students from Seymour Dance will twirl on stage to Tchaikovsky’s famous composition and one of the world’s most popular ballets, The Nutcracker, at Centennial Theatre in December.
The Nutcracker is a Christmas tradition for the Seymour Dance company which has delivered the ballet to North Shore audiences for more than 40 years. Families have come back year after year to share in this classic Christmas tradition, some of whom have never set foot in the Seymour Dance studio, says artistic director Sonia Ellis.
Seymour Dance, as with other adaptations of The Nutcracker, puts their own spin on the ballet. For the famous party scene, the senior Seymour Dance ballerinas recruited some male friends from their high school to play the part of the gentleman.
The 10 teenagers, mainly from Seycove and Windsor, were taught a simple dance to perform.
It’s neat to see community members who might not have dance experience incorporated into the show, says Ellis.
Another male standout is Seymour Dance student Logan Hall who plays the part of the heroic Cavalier Prince. Hall, who only took up ballet two years ago, has proved to be precocious on stage. The 13-year-old was recently accepted to join the prestigious Royal Winnipeg Ballet for a summer school program.
“He just fell in love with ballet and has progressed immensely in the past two years,” explains Ellis.
Young ballerinas ranging in age from 3 to 16 will grace the stage for Seymour Dance’s performance of The Nutcracker.
“It’s really cute to see the three and four-year-olds in their tutus,” says Ellis. “For some of them it will be their first experience on stage.”
Seymour Dance presents The Nutcracker, Sunday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Centennial Theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets visit seymourdance.com and centennialtheatre.com/box-office.
