St. Charles ballet performance offers spirited alternative to "Nutcracker"

Visions of the Sugar Plum Fairy dance in many a young dancer's head this time of year as productions of "The Nutcracker" ballet are staged worldwide to celebrate the holidays.

Watmora Casey, a leading ballet instructor in the northwest suburbs, has nothing against this beloved Christmas show, a tradition for decades. Many of his own students will pirouette in various Nutcracker productions this season, including one in a lead role in Schaumburg.

But Casey, a committed Christian who is the founder and artistic director of Hanover Park's Faubourg School of Ballet, celebrates Christmas with a 12-year tradition of his own.

With 40 gifted dancers ranging from 8 to 16 years old, "A Spirit-Filled Christmas" focuses on the reason for the season and retells the birth of Jesus Christ choreographically.

"I'm keeping the spirit of Christmas in Christmas," Casey said. "I do this production because it is my gift back to my Lord."

Faubourg has produced dancers who have qualified for some of the top ballet schools and dance companies in the world. American Ballet Theatre. Boston Ballet. San Francisco Ballet. Joffrey. Kirov. Radio City Rockettes. And Casey's students have what it takes to bring home the trophies.

"We are in the top 12 for the last three years in the Grand Prix finals in New York," he said, referring to the Youth America Grand Prix, the largest ballet scholarship contest in the world. "We compete against the Chinese, the Japanese, Cubans, Russians, French. This year alone we had three kids in the top 20 and two in the top 12.

"We hold our own here. We won the Grand Prix in Chicago, the regionals, at least three times," he said. "We have really great teachers; the teachers are amazing."

While many Faubourg dancers will have their names on "Nutcracker" programs at other venues, a core group of 40 will be at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles this weekend to perform in "A Spirit-Filled Christmas."

"That doesn't mean this remnant is chopped liver, though," Casey said. "They choose to stay here and do the Christmas show."

Indeed, the principal dancer is Kennedy Liggett of Roselle, a 12-year-old who won the Grand Prix regional championship two years ago. Other soloists include Belle Jessen of Elgin, 16, and Grace Davidson of Peoria, who will dance "The Lord's Prayer."

"You would not believe she's 10 years old," Casey said.

Three St. Charles residents bring their vocal talents to the production, including Shealeigh Voitl, an 11-year-old working on her first single, Joshua Welton and Suzanne Positano.

Casey said the program features choreographed favorites from carols ("What Child is This?", "O Holy Night," "Joy to the World") to Christmas music from today's artists ("Mary, Did You Know?" "Breath of Heaven"). With a little drama in the script as well, the show tells the biblical story of the birth of Christ.

That's a story Casey learned at a very young age. Originally from the island of St. Kitts, he moved with his family to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where his father pastored a nondenominational church and Casey started dance lessons - Caribbean, ballroom and modern.

"In my family all the kids have to dance and play the piano," he said. "We didn't really have a choice. My parents appreciated culture."

Even though dance was just part of the Casey household routine, Watmora soon found the rond de jambe and rumba came naturally for him. New York City beckoned; he trained classically at the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, then performed with professional ballet companies in California and New Orleans, where he met his wife Rachel.

The Caseys have lived in the Chicago area about 20 years now and enjoy giving back to the community. They run Faubourg Theatre as a nonprofit organization and dedicate every production to a local charity. This year's two shows have spotlighted the Autism Society of America, Northwest Suburban Illinois chapter.

"We thought it would be a good cause to support because there was a study done recently that says that one in every 100 kids is diagnosed on the autism spectrum," said Nadia BlancDaley, managing director of the Faubourg. "Three or four years ago it was one in 150."

Ballet benefits children with autism, BlancDaley said. "Classical dance helps the mind, motivates children and boosts self-esteem and confidence."

In fact, a few of the dancers in the Christmas show have been diagnosed with autism. They also performed in Faubourg's production of "Les Danseurs" this past summer, and "it was absolutely wonderful to see the joy on their faces," BlancDaley said.

The kids weren't the only ones feeling the joy. Although training children to move on into classical companies is "what we do," the ministry is equally important at Faubourg.

"We always perform to bring awareness to all the needs in our community," said Casey. "We pay for our bills, and then we give the rest to charity.

"Our theater never performs for the performance's sake."

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>If you go</b></p> <p class="factboxtext12col">What: Faubourg School of Ballet's production of "A Spirit-Filled Christmas" </p> <p class="factboxtext12col">When: 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles Tickets: $20 for adults and $16 for seniors 62 and older and children 12 and younger if purchased online, <a href="http://www.faubourgschoolofballet.net" target="new">www.faubourgschoolofballet.net</a>; $23 and $18 at the door </p> <p class="factboxtext12col">Call: (630) 289-3030</p>