Stepping Out

'The Nutcracker' arrives on local stages

The festive tradition continues to delight

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Those sugar plum fairies and various figments of a young girl’s imagination make their return this weekend and throughout this festive month. The holiday classic continues to light up local stages with assorted versions to choose from, always enjoyed by devoted fans year after year.
Here are some of the season’s top picks.

The Nutcracker by Leggz Ltd. Dance
Nutcracker season on Long Island always opens with the Rockville Centre-based Leggz Ltd. Dance’s annual full-length staging of the beloved ballet, accompanied by the South Shore Symphony Orchestra, in what has become a highly anticipated long-standing tradition. The 50-piece orchestra performing the glorious Tchaikovsky score adds to the appeal of the production, which runs for the three performances this weekend.

“Our cast is phenomenal this year,” says Joan MacNaughton, artistic director of “The Nutcracker” and founder of the Leggz Ltd. Dance studio. “It’s a star studded principal cast of amazingly talented dancers.”
The Leggz version of the holiday classic, presented with the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts, welcomes the Joffrey Ballet’s Allison Walsh, who recently appeared on Broadway as Lise in the acclaimed production of “An American in Paris.” Walsh, who will next appear on the Broadway stage in the new musical “Anastasia,” dances the role of Sugar Plum Fairy. Her partner as the Cavalier is Mauro Villaneuva, who also performed with the Joffrey Ballet.
Another “An American in Paris” cast member, Megan Dickinson, recently seen in the Starz series “Flesh and Bone,” takes on the role of Dew Drop Fairy. This year’s production also includes Anne Sandefur, with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, as Marzipan; Max Baud, who appeared as ‘older Billy’ in the national tour of “Billy Elliot,” who partners Marzipan; Katelyn Prominski, whose credits include “Flash Dance the Musical,” as the Snow Queen; and Matthew Prescott, who has appeared in “Phantom of the Opera,” as the Snow King.
“We are thrilled to have these dancers with us,” says MacNaughton. “They bring a level of performance that you would generally have to go to New York City to see.”
Leggz students round out this large cast of 95 dancers. “We have a fabulous group of talented young student dancers,” says MacNaughton. “They are really good kids and wonderful dancers.” Her local dancers include Freeport’s Isabella BonGiorno, a sixth-grader at St. Agnes in Rockville Centre, as Clara; Rockville Centre’s Danielle Sorscher, 17, who attends South Side High School, as the Mouse Queen; Caroline Longworth, 17, also of Rockville Centre, and fellow South Side High School student, as Chinese Tea; along with another Rockville Centre dancer, Isabella Verga, an eighth grader at South Side Middle School, also appearing as Chinese Tea. Rockville Centre is also represented by 9-year-old John Donohoe, who has the role of Clara’s brother.
“It’s an amazing thing for our kids to dance with these seasoned professionals,” says MacNaughton. “It really raises the bar for us.”
MacNaughton, assisted by her daughter, Sam Carrell, has been bringing her holiday “Nutcracker” to the community for over two decades.
In its 20th year with the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts, and with music by the South Shore Symphony Orchestra, the Leggz production has evolved into an acclaimed performance of the holiday classic, one that is eagerly awaited by audiences each year. “We are the only ballet on Long Island with a live orchestra,” MacNaughton says. “The South Shore Symphony always gives an amazing performance. [President and Principal Cellist] Wayne Lipton and I have had a terrific collaboration. It’s a wonderful relationship.”
The enchanting re-telling of the story of Clara, the young girl who receives a special holiday offering of a Nutcracker figurine, comes to life set to the beloved Tchaikovsky score, performed by the popular local orchestra.
Leggz’s Nutcracker is now firmly ensconced at the Madison Theatre, on the Molloy College campus. “It’s a world-class stage in a real theater. And the acoustics are fabulous. Dancing there brings us to a different level. We are performing the real thing. It’s a blessing to be there,” says MacNaughton.
Her staging includes all the elements of the classic ballet. “We do the entire ballet with the full score,” MacNaughton adds. “It’s traditional in concept, with choreography that I’ve interpreted that reflects my style. The story remains in its entirety. “It’s a great way to usher in the holiday season.”
Leggz Ltd.’s “Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker” is being performed on Friday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 3, 5 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m. Tickets are $39 and $25. The Madison Theatre is located at Molloy College, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre.(516) 323-4444 or www.madisontheatreny.org.

New York Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker
New York Dance Theatre’s offers its 35th season of the holiday classic, which continues to be presented in the style of the legendary George Balanchine, on the John Cranford Adams Playhouse stage at Hofstra University.
NYDT closely follows the Balanchine tradition — from storyline through choreography, and sets and costumes. It is the largest production on Long Island, according to Frank Ohman, NYDT’s longtime artistic director and founder. Ohman, a former soloist with the New York City Ballet, created original scenes and sequences for his company’s production, adding music and dances over the years.
This year’s version features special guest artists Alicia Holloway as the Sugar Plum Fairy and DaVon Doane who appears as her Cavalier, both with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Philip Leclose, who performed the role of the young Prince for two consecutive years at Lincoln Center, appears in that same role in Ohman’s production.
In all, a cast of 80 children, dance students and professionals bring the holiday classic to the stage.
Ohman commemorates the production’s 35 anniversary year with some new roles in the Kingdom of the Snow: “Junior Snowflakes” who swirl around the traveling bed foreshadowing the impending snow storm, and two baby reindeer who accompany the reindeer dancers pulling Clara’s sled.
With the elegant Christmas Party Scene, the Battle of the Toy soldiers and Giant mice, the live Snow Storm, and the brilliant dancing in the Land of the Sweets, “The Nutcracker” is sparkling treat that maintains its enduring appeal.
See NYDT’s production Friday and Saturday, Dec. 17-18, 12 and 5 p.m. Tickets are $42, $32 seniors and children 12 and under. Hofstra University, John Cranford Adams Playouse, Hempstead. (631) 462-0964 or www.ohmanballet.org.

Eglevsky Ballet updates The Nutcracker
Long Island’s professional dance company, the Eglevsky Ballet, brings its staging of Clara’s delightful journey to the Tilles Center, featuring additional choreography by Executive Artistic Director Maurice Brandon Curry. Curry’s interpretation stars Alison Stroming as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nicholas Rose as the Cavalier, both principal soloists the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
He has staged this version of The Nutcracker (the third in his career) as a traditional production with unique dimensions added throughout.
“Eglevsky Ballet has long been known for its approach to this treasured story,” says Curry. “I wanted to delve a little deeper into the characters of Clara and Drosselmeyer and also increase the participation of our incredibly talented academy students with our professional dancers. Also, I’ve enriched the production with more theatricality and many new dramatic elements. And with all of this I have still managed to keep the dancing as the true star of the ballet.”
Additionally, Curry welcomes several Eglevsky Ballet alumni back to the stage to participate in the ballet’s famous party scene as the parents and guests of the Stahlbaums, the fictional family who are the party’s hosts.
“It is delightful to meet so many people who have fond memories of their years dancing in The Nutcracker at Eglevsky Ballet,” he says. “I am happy they all accepted the offer.”
One of these alums is Jamie Stanton, who as a young child and teenager appeared in many of Eglevsky productions of the holiday ballet. This year she returns to play the role of Mrs. Stahlbaum, Clara’s mother.
“After studying at the Eglevsky School of Ballet from the age of eight and performing many children’s roles and then joining the Eglevsky Ballet Company as a professional dancer when I was 18, I am thrilled to be returning to the stage in the role of Mrs. Stahlbaum,” says Stanton. “It’s probably the one part I have never been before in all my Nutcracker years. My daughter, Natalie, is a student at the Eglevsky School of Ballet and will also be in the production this year bringing another generation of our family to the stage.”
“Last year, Mr. Curry invited alumni to perform as a “parent” in the ballet’s famous party scene. It was a wonderful experience to share the stage with Natalie and reconnect with childhood friends from 25-plus years ago. I am excited to share my love for ballet with Natalie again this year. I’m forever grateful to Mr. Curry for all he has done for the Eglevsky Ballet, bridging the past and present with alumni and new students, and making being a cast member of the “The Nutcracker” full of memories for everyone.”
Eglevsky Ballet unveils its new production on Saturday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 19, 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets are $78, $58, $48. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post, Rte. 25A, Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or www.tillescenter.org or www.eglevskyballet.com.