Ballet puts new moves in familiar ‘Nutcracker’

Staff report

Youngstown

Nearly 100 Ballet Western Reserve students will be joined by other area dancers and actors for a full-length performance of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker” at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Powers Auditorium.

It will be the first signature production for BWR Artistic Director Virginia Hartman, who was appointed to the position earlier this year.

Hartman said she is looking forward to adding her own flair to “Nutcracker.” Professional actors and ballroom dancers will join the cast, she said.

Because ballroom dancing is riding a wave of television popularity, Hartman approached Fred Astaire Dance Studio as a collaborator. A half-dozen professional dancers and regional champions from the Boardman studio will bring ballroom dancing to the party scene in the first act of “Nutcracker,” as well as enhancing the Arabian and Spanish variation later in the show.

Bringing the character of Drosselmeyer to life will be James McClellan.

“Jimmy is part of our BWR family, and his passion for acting coupled with his devotion to our organization will make for a spectacular performance,” said Hartman.

Tarra Joseph, coordinator of children’s ballet, has been working with the younger performers for several weeks. “It is both a joy and an honor to be creating this year’s choreography for BWR’s young performers,” she said. “Their energy and commitment is what makes this experience so much fun.”

“The Nutcracker” is a classic ballet in two acts and four scenes, with music by Tchaikovsky.