CBYE Media Releases

This Nutcracker is a brilliant, evocative gift

Gary Smith
The Hamilton Spectator
(December 12, 2008)

If I were Santa Claus I'd give everyone tickets to the Cuban Nutcracker. It's at Hamilton Place tonight and this weekend, and it shouldn't be missed.

I love it to pieces. Why? Because it's shamelessly old-fashioned, washed over with nostalgia, filled with evocative images of Christmas long ago.

As far as I'm concerned there isn't a better Nutcracker. This Cuban version by Alicia Alonso adheres brilliantly to the story of a young girl's rite of passage. More than that, it offers a Latino perspective that makes you sit up and grin.

What a combination, nostalgia and wit. What a joyous amalgam of spirit and romance.

And where would you find better dancing than in this Ballet Nacional de Cuba production?

This is ballet as it used to be, shamelessly sentimental, evocative of Ballets Russes, not about technical tricks, not about overwhelming sets. It's about telling the story, reaching the heart.

Alonso understands this story is ultimately about romance. She allows her dancers to luxuriate in rapturous abandon.

When Serafin Castro's handsome Nutcracker leaps suddenly to life he sweeps Gretel Morejon's delicate little Clara aloft, enfolding her in the warmth of boyish arms.

When they fly through space, wafting on the wings of Tchaikovsky's glorious score, you suddenly understand the liberating power of love.

That power is there, too, in the frigid beauty of Alonso's snow scene. When Elier Bourzac's Prince of Snow holds lissome Yanela Pinera's Snow Queen high overhead, it's as if they were creatures in a snow globe come brilliantly to life.

That sort of magic is everywhere in this stunning production. The catalyst, of course, is Leandro Perez's magical Uncle Drosselmeyer with his hint of danger and seduction.

But it runs right through this brilliant production, creating fire as Maikel Hernandez, Yonah Acosta and Eliecer Perez go airborne in their Trepak dance. It continues through an enchanting Waltz of the Flowers where female dancers in poppy shades of orange, red and lavender fill the stage with delirious movement.

And it's certainly there in the elegant pas de deux of The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier danced with pristine perfection by Anette Delgado and Ernesto Alvarez.

You won't see better dancing than this on any ballet stage.

Then there's the local connection of the wonderful dancers of the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble, playing everything from sprightly little mice to children at the Christmas party.

Don't let this marvel leave town without taking a look. It's brilliant entertainment.

Gary Smith has written on theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator for more than 25 years.

Showtime

What: The Nutcracker

Who: Ballet Nacional de Cuba and Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble

Where: Hamilton Place

When: Tonight at 7:30 p.m., tomorrow at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Preshow ballet talks in Piano Nobile 45 minutes before each performance Tickets: 905-527-7666