Deirdre Newman Southern California may not be...

Deirdre Newman

Southern California may not be blanketed by the snowy weather that

heralds the approach of Christmas, but it is blessed with a bevy of

ballet companies performing the quintessential holiday classic “The

Nutcracker.”

This month, three companies will perform the ballet -- two in

Costa Mesa and one in Irvine. All of them feature different

interpretations of the Sugar Plum Fairy role, the lead female soloist

who entertains young Clara and the Nutcracker Prince after their

journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Candy.

The Nutcracker story is seen through the eyes of Clara, a young

girl who receives a wooden Nutcracker from her godfather, Herr

Drosselmeyer, on Christmas Eve. During the night, Clara enters a

dream world where she witnesses the Christmas tree magically growing

taller, the wooden Nutcracker coming to life, toy soldiers springing

into action and a battle between the ferocious Mouse King and the

Nutcracker.

Clara intervenes and saves the Nutcracker, which transforms into a

handsome prince. To show his appreciation, the prince invites Clara

to accompany him on a journey home, where they are entertained by

dancers from faraway lands.

Ballet Pacifica’s “Nutcracker” was the first to debut.

Performances started last night at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Its

staging features a cast of more than 150 dancers and dazzling special

effects including smoke, fog, falling snow and a three-dimensional

candlelit Christmas tree.

This is the third year that ballerina Heather Winters of Tustin

will dance the Sugar Plum Fairy role for Ballet Pacifica. A new

partner will keep Winters on her toes, she said.

“It creates a whole new meaning to it when you get somebody else

to dance with,” Winters said.

Ballet Pacifica’s Nutcracker combines a mix of classical and

modern ballet. Also, Molly Lynch, artistic director, gives the ballet

a multicultural flavor earlier in the production than originally

choreographed by having Clara meet international dignitaries at her

parents’ holiday party.

In the second act, these international characters wear costumes

and perform dances that represent their countries.

Festival Ballet of Fountain Valley will perform its Nutcracker at

Orange Coast College.

Elizabeth Chasteler of Westminster is one of the ballerinas

performing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Chasteler, who won a Disney 2001 Creativity Award Scholarship, is

in her third year performing the role with the company. Each year,

she adds another layer to the character.

“My first year, it was new and exciting. The second year, I kind

of went for a little more mature and was a little more commanding.

And then this year, I went a little off on that one, but was a little

more flirtatious at the same time,” Chasteler, 19, said.

Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla said Festival’s “Nutcracker” has

the reputation of being the most colorful in the area. The production

includes Drosselmeyer flying in the battle scene in Clara’s dream and

flying angels that open the second act then alight on stage and dance

around the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The ballet will also feature principal dancer John Gardner, a

former soloist with American Ballet Theatre, as the Cavalier, who

dances the signature pas de deux with the Sugar Plum Fairy.

American Ballet Theatre will present its version of “The

Nutcracker” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center with

accompaniment by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Stella Abrera, 24,

of New York City, is one of the ballerinas cast as the Sugar Plum

Fairy.

Abrera, who received the Gold Medal at the Royal Academy of

Dancing’s Adeline Genee Awards in London in 1995, said she’s not as

stressed out about the part since this is her second year performing

it. She said she enjoys the role because of the major pas de deux at

the end of the ballet.

“It’s not often that you get to do such a big role like that. It’s

just very enjoyable and very fun,” Abrera, 24, said.

American Ballet Theatre’s production features fairies flitting in

and out of scenes and a unicorn that leads Clara to different lands

in her dream.