State Street Ballet and the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra Perform an Out-of-This-World ‘Nutcracker’

What a night of magical dancing and magnificent music! State Street Ballet (SSB) and the Grand Orchestra of Opera San Luis Obispo, under the baton of Brian Asher Alhadeff, are a dream team, with spectacular dancing, and music that was so rich one could almost feel the reverberations in the air.

The Nutcracker is probably the most-watched ballet of all time.  Of all the excellent versions, the SSB version is one of, if not THE most visually interesting I have seen. In every scene, each dancer contributed their unique sparkle, like a beautifully decorated tree in which each ornament stands out.

Even the small children were very professional and never broke character.

“Preparing students for the stage is a deeply collaborative effort — Allison Gustafson, Kira Hopkins, Megan Philipp, myself, and many State Street Ballet dancers shared in mentoring these young performers,” said Executive Director Cecily MacDougall. “I was so proud to see our students rise to the occasion with focus, confidence, and joy.”

In the delightful opening party scene, the elegant Stahlbaums (Kaia Abraham and Tigran Sargsyan) looked like they stepped right out of The Gilded Age. Fritz (Felipe Aravena Covarrubias), as the quintessential bratty little brother, would not stop being annoying, and Akari Kato was the perfect Clara, with impeccable technique and sweet, youthful charm.

And, of course, Sergei Domrachev was classic as the eccentric Herr Drosselmeyer, who brings Clara the Nutcracker Doll.

After the party ends, Clara’s dream begins. Hideously adorable rats dance around the sleeping Clara, who awakens to the sounds of a battle between the rats and mice and the toy soldiers, led by her now human-sized Nutcracker.

A battle ensues, masterfully choreographed by SSB’s Founding Director Rodney Gustafson (see SSB’s Romeo and Juliet).

Enter the Rat Queen, a State Street Ballet signature character! As I described in my preview last year, instead of the usual rat king, Gustafson created SSB’s Rat Queen as a more-or-less Cruella de Vil–inspired character. Brilliantly danced by Brianna Patrick on Saturday night, the Rat Queen leads the rats and mice in battle against the toy soldiers, all the while glancing slyly at the audience, making sure her adorably sinister beauty is duly appreciated. The Rat Queen is ultimately vanquished by a kick to the head from Clara, and the spell is broken: the rats retreat, while the Nutcracker discards his mask and becomes a handsome prince (Noam Tsivkin).

Act I ends with the beautiful snow scene. The choreography for the corps is Philipp’s, but the Snow Pas de Deux was choreographed by Artistic Associate Nilas Martins. Martins’s couples choreography is always intricate and interesting, as I noted in the Balcony Pas in Romeo and Juliet.

Regarding the Snow Pas de Deux, Martins explained, “I like to embrace big movement when the moment or music calls for it, and with the Snow Pas, I was inspired by the idea of an ice ring and how skaters cover space. My inspiration was the music, and the energy of a snow storm.” Because his couples choreography is so technically challenging, Martins tailored some of the movements for the different couples who performed it.  He said, “This pas de deux will be a great vehicle for the dancers that will be cast in it every year to work on their partnering and keep true to the difficult original concept that I created for them.”

On Saturday night, the Snow Queen and King were beautifully danced by Maria Rita Rapisarda and Gabriel Ramirez. 

Act II begins with Clara and the Prince entering the Kingdom of Sweets. They are introduced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier and their subjects. Most of the choreography was Gustafson’s original, but with additions and updates by Philipp, Sargsyan, and Marina Domrachev.

All of the variations were exquisitely danced: Shepherd and Shepherdess by Amara Galloway and Harold Mendez; Chocolate by Kaia Abraham, Amber Hirschfield, and Ethan Ahuero; Tea by Brenna Chumacero and Harold Mendez; and Trepak by Hailey Maynard, Noah Gnes, and Nathaniel Tyson. The Merlitons (Gina Quiodettis, Natalie Burkhart, and Amanda McLeod) were charming, while Sergei Domrachev, as Mother Ginger, was supremely bawdy and comical.

Rapisarda and Ramirez danced the “Arabian” (Coffee) variation in Act II, choreographed by Tigran Sargsyan. Rapisarda was the quintessential Arabian dancer, with long, languid extensions, graceful flexibility, and a lusciously sultry expression oozing with saffron and spice. Ramirez was a strong partner, and together they created a stunning visualization of this famous music.

The Waltz of the Flowers was choreographed by Founding Director Gustafson. Often this long variation is rather boring, with too many long pink tutus orbiting in a great circle, but Gustafson’s choreography was interesting and refreshing. He included men dancing in coats and tails, incorporating an element of Ballroom dance. He explained that when he first choreographed The Nutcracker in 1994, he wanted to “embody the elegance of Hollywood.” Gustafson said, “Many traditional Nutcrackers use only one (male/female) lead couple in the waltz, but I preferred to include more men.”  The elegance has remained, and Flowers was splendid!

The pinnacle of the ballet is the Grand Pas de Deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, who preside over the Land of the Sweets. Saori Yamashita and Ryan Lenkey, who danced these roles Saturday night, were spectacular. Yamashita is exquisite, as I have described previously (here and here), but in the year-or-so that I have been reviewing SSB, I have seen Lenkey grow tremendously as a dancer and partner. He seems to have settled confidently into his role as a Premier Danseur. His high jumps and smooth turns look effortless, and his dramatic portrayal was seriously romantic.

Every aspect of this Nutcracker was spectacular. In addition to the exquisite dancing and rich music, the colorful costumes were all stunning. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, too, with wonderful nuances such as the window into the Stahlbaums’ living room and the Christmas tree that grew.

We are fortunate to have such amazing artists in our community! Find upcoming performances of State Street Ballet and the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra online.