The Holidays are Coming to Town

Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” to Take Stage

By Karen Conley

When the Thanksgiving leftovers have been turned into sandwiches, turkey casseroles, and heartwarming soup, we know that it’s time to break out the Christmas decorations. We ‘ll forage through our garages and the crawl space under the stairs to pull out boxes with “XMAS” scribbled on the sides. Soon, houses will be aglow with holiday lights and sparkly reindeer will take up residence in front yards. We will hang ornaments on trees and mistletoe in doorways. Many of us will dust off our Menorahs and Latke recipes. Strains of Up on the Housetop will drift through stores, prompting us to buy gifts and colorful wrapping paper. We know that along with Santa, the holidays are coming to town.

Alongside the tinsel and glitter, December is a time to indulge in many of our favorite traditions. One our community has enjoyed, that has spanned generations, is the annual presentation of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker.” It takes a tremendous amount of work and dedication to keep a beautiful and time-honored tradition like “The Nutcracker” alive and vibrant. Long before it was time to even think about turkey, Robert Kelley and Diane Cypher, Artistic Directors of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, began rehearsing with their cast of 83 young dancers. Once again, they’ll bring this holiday classic to Santa Cruz audiences, one of only three children’s dance companies in the nation to set The Nutcracker to a live orchestra!

Dances are being choreographed and rehearsed, while costumes are cleaned and altered, and beautiful, colorful sets are pulled out of storage. The excitement builds as the holidays get closer and the whole company works hard toward being performance-ready as Kelley and Cypher prepares the company for the arrival of each year’s featured guest artists. Santa Cruz audiences are in for a real treat this year because SCBT alumni, Lauryn Winterhalder and Melody Mennite will be sharing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Both women graduated from Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre to become professional ballet dancers in two renowned professional companies. Mennite is a currently a principle dancer with the Houston Ballet and Winterhalder a principal dancer with the Sacramento Ballet. Even though these talented younger women no longer live in Santa Cruz, they are returning home to star in this very special Santa Cruz holiday tradition, which is near-and-dear to both of their hearts.

Connor Walsh, also a member of Houston Ballet, will be dancing as Mennite’s Cavalier for the Saturday and Sunday performances. Richard Smith of the Sacramento Ballet will be starring with Winterhalder. SCBT alumnus Gabriel Williams, who has danced for Sacramento Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and New York Ballet Theatre, will join the cast as a guest artist for all five performances.

It is not just the principle dancers who will be welcomed back to Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre’s “Nutcracker” this year. Maestro Pamela Martin will once again be on hand to conduct the 50-piece professional orchestra through the spectacular and so-favored holiday musical score. Martin is at home with ballet productions as she has been a staff conductor for a number of companies, including the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet (now Ballet San Jose), Oakland Ballet, and Ballet West in Salt Lake City. This will be the fourth year in which she will rejoin the SCBT Nutcracker family.

Holiday traditions thrive because they evoke warm, happy memories. The lights and music and sugary smells help us recapture the feeling of the Yuletide Season. Hearing Tchaikovsky’s score of “The Nutcracker” immediately takes us back to when we saw snowflakes, flowers, soldiers and Sugar Plum Fairies dance in delight. It’s those memories that fill our hearts with something special, something meaningful, and of a tradition worth cherishing.

•••

Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre presents “The Nutcracker,” a Holiday Tradition from Friday December 18 to Sunday December 20 at the Civic Auditorium. Tickets are on-sale now at www.santacruztickets.com or by calling 831 420 5260.