Companies look outside the 'burbs to cast plum 'Nutcracker' roles

Anyone who wonders why American ballet companies almost always trot out "The Nutcracker" for the holiday season obviously hasn't been paying attention.

Tchaikovsky's classic ballet is not only set at Christmastime, but allows for cadres of children to be cast in a multitude of minor roles. And any moment you have a kid on stage, you are guaranteed to have parents, siblings, grandparents and other extended family members lining up to be paying audience members.

Yet for all of the focus on kids in "The Nutcracker," the ballet has roles that require professional dancers. Technical virtuosity and years of ballet training are needed to competently dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, not to mention the Snow Queen and Snow King and many of the divertissements of international dancing sweets.

Professional companies, such as the Joffrey Ballet or the soon-to-be-visiting Moscow Ballet at the Rosemont Theatre, can easily cast these virtuosic "Nutcracker" roles from their immediate ranks. But for suburban companies or ballet schools staging "The Nutcracker," guest artists typically have to be imported.

Import early and often

Schaumburg Dance Ensemble co-director Camille Baranchik has to start contracting with guest artists in January for a December "Nutcracker" run because, "if you don't, someone else will cast them."

This year Baranchik is pleased to have Cincinnati Ballet dancers Gema Diaz and Cervilio Amador taking time out from their hometown run of "The Nutcracker" to appear as the Sugar Plum/Cavalier duo in Schaumburg. She's also proud to point out that they also have veterans of local companies, including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago in Schaumburg's "Nutcracker" production.

"The Nutcracker is year-round for us," says Cheri Lindell, director of Libertyville-based Dancenter North. Like Baranchik, Lindell says the logistics of staging a huge spectacle means guest artists often have to be employed extremely early.

Since this is the 20th anniversary of Dancenter's "The Magic of the Nutcracker," the company made an extra-special effort to bring in professional dancers with close local ties. For instance, Amy Brandt of Milwaukee Ballet is guesting as the Sugar Plum Fairy after receiving her initial training as a girl at Dancenter North.

Then there's Jon Lehrer returning to dance the Mouse King after spending 10 years with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and founding his own New York company, LehrerDance, in 2007.

Why go guesting?

For dancers in professional dance companies, guesting allows for a change of pace from the normal routine.

"The change of atmosphere allows you to stay sharp and alert and keep the performance alive," says Larissa Ponomarenko, a Ukrainian native and Boston Ballet principal dancer who is guesting as the Sugar Plum Fairy for Aurora performances of Salt Creek Ballet's "Nutcracker."

Ponomarenko says doing a long run of "Nutcracker" performances can be risky for dancers because "it can get quite boring and technical and bring injuries because your attentiveness can die out with the number of performances" (Boston Ballet is staging a run of 35 "Nutcracker" performances this year).

To move things along, Ponomarenko brings along her own fitted Sugar Plum Fairy costume and tries to color coordinate in advance by sending pictures through e-mail.

Interestingly enough, Ponomarenko also has a local connection to the Westmont- and Hinsdale-based company. As a girl training in St. Petersburg, Russia, Ponomarenko remembers observing Salt Creek co-artistic director Sergey Kozadayev dancing onstage for the St. Petersburg State Ballet. Now Ponomarenko gets to partner with Kozadayev's son, Alexander, who plays her Cavalier.

Calling all Cavaliers

For freelance dancers, guesting at multiple "Nutcrackers" provides a wonderful income source. And if you're a male, you can be really in demand.

This season alone, Chicago resident and former Joffrey Ballet dancer Peter Kozak is freelancing as the Cavalier with four different ballet companies: Hilton Head Dance Theatre and Columbia City Ballet (both in South Carolina), with Mohawk Valley Ballet in Utica, N.Y., and with the Civic Ballet of Chicago's "Nutcracker" in Skokie.

"You can literally make your full year's salary just on 'The Nutcracker,'" Kozak said, admitting that he was once able to cram in nine different Cavalier jobs one season.

Kozak said a lot of casting is done through word-of-mouth, though many dancers post their resumes online on dance job sites to alert potential companies to their "Nutcracker" availability.

Switching off with numerous Sugar Plum Fairies or Snow Queens isn't too difficult, according to Kozak, because he says the basic chorography surprisingly doesn't vary too much (or if it does, the dancers try to learn from video recording in advance). What Kozak says guesting dancers have to watch out for is preventing injuries from the variable dance floors in each theater or falling ill when you're contracted for a set number of performances.

Looking up

Former Joffrey Ballet dancer Teanna Zarro loves freelancing in "The Nutcracker." This season she's not only playing the Sugar Plum Fairy for Kenneth von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet and the Civic Ballet of Chicago, but for the New Mexico Ballet Company in Albuquerque, N.M.

As an invited guest artist, Zarro enjoys eschewing the general competition you have for leading roles in a regular ballet company. Plus, you can be an example to a whole group of aspiring ballet dancers.

Though some guest artists are able to take ballet stretching classes with students, other times there isn't enough time to do that kind of outreach. Besides, it can also be a bit hazardous if guest artists alter their regular warmup routines.

"I just try to be really professional and be a good example by how hard I work," Zarro said. While with younger dancers, "I always try to include them and give points to make things better on stage."

Although some dancers groan and moan about doing yet another season of "The Nutcracker," Zarro actually looks forward to it.

"For me, it's a tradition," Zarro said. "I can't see my holiday season without it: cold weather, snow and 'The Nutcracker.'"

Where to see 'The Nutcracker'

Looking for "The Nutcracker" this holiday season? Check out this sampling of "Nutcrackers" both suburban and in Chicago. You'll find lavish spectacles and revisionist interpretations all around.

Suburban

Moscow Ballet might be based in the U.S., but the talent it attracts is largely Russian. See this touring version of "The Great Russian Nutcracker" at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont. Show times are 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. Tickets are $26-$86. (312) 559-1212.

Ballet Legere's 24th annual production of "The Nutcracker Ballet" features guest artists Craig Hall and Rebecca Krohn of New York City Ballet and a live orchestra at the Chodl Auditorium, 2423 S. Austin Blvd., Cicero. Tickets are $22-$24; $19-$21 for seniors and children. (773) 237-1874.

Salt Creek Ballet's "The Nutcracker" tours three different locations this season. First up is a run at Hinsdale Central High School, 55th and Grant streets, Hinsdale, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, and Sunday, Nov. 30. Tickets are $27.50; $24.50 for children. (630) 769-1199. In-between are two shows at 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Paramount Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Tickets are $29.50; $23.50 for children younger than 12; (630) 896-6666 or theparamounttheatre.com. The run concludes at 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University, 1 University Parkway, off I-57 at Sauk Trail, University Park. Tickets are $20-$40; $15-$35 for seniors and children. (708) 235-2222.

Von Heidicke Chicago Festival Ballet Company's "The Nutcracker" features live music courtesy of the New Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kirk Muspratt. One performance is 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, at the Rialto Square Theatre, 15 E. Van Buren St., Joliet. Tickets range from 30-$38; $20.50 for children ages 12 and younger. (815) 726-6600 or rialtosquare.com. Five more performances take place at the College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, at 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Dec. 19-21, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20 and 21. Tickets are $35; $33 for seniors; $25 for children. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org.

Dancenter North celebrates its 20th anniversary production of "The Magic of the Nutcracker" in two locations. First up are three performances at Libertyville High School, 708 W. Park Ave., Libertyville, at 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7. Tickets run $12-$20. (847) 367-7970. Two subsequent matinees are 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13 and 14, at the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. Tickets are $18-$35. (312) 559-1212 or geneseetheatre.com.

The Civic Ballet of Chicago's "The Nutcracker" features Ruth Page's full-length staging at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Performances are 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13 and 14. Tickets are $34. (847) 673-6300 or centreeast.org.

Schaumburg Dance Ensemble's "The Nutcracker" plays over two weekends between Friday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. Sundays (extra shows 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14). Tickets are $26; $18 for students and seniors. (847) 895-3600 or prairiecenter.org.

Illinois Youth Dance Theatre's "The Nutcracker" plays at 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at Lake Zurich High School Performing Arts Center, 300 Church St., Lake Zurich. Tickets are $25; $22 for seniors; $12-$20 for children. (815) 675-9359 or dancepasg.com.

State Street Dance Studio's "The Nutcracker" plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Norris Cultural Arts Center, 1040 Dunham Road, St. Charles. Tickets are $20; $15 for children. (630) 232-0444.

City

The Joffrey Ballet's 21st anniversary production of "The Nutcracker" features live music courtesy of the Chicago Sinfonietta with young vocalists from the Providence-St. Mel School Choir, the Oak Park and River Forest Children's Choir, Barrington Children's Choir and the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago. See it at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. Performances run Thursday, Dec. 18, through Sunday, Dec. 28. Show times are 7 p.m. Dec. 18-21, 23, 26 and 27 and 2 p.m. Dec. 20, 21, 23, 24 and 26-28. Tickets run $25-$100. (312) 902-1500 or joffrey.org.

"The Dance-Along Nutcracker" features live music from the Lakeside Pride Band and allows you to directly participate at the Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago. Show times are noon and 3 p.m. Dec. 7. Free. (312) 744-6630.