Local performances make these versions of the annual Christmas dance favorite an easy nut to crack
By Rachel Yepremian-Owens
With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s as if you can immediately hear Mariah Carey singing, “It’s timeeeeeee!” It’s officially the Christmas season.
Arguably, one of the crucial parts of Christmas is “The Nutcracker,” the famous ballet.
It’s about a young girl gifted with a nutcracker by her godfather, an inventor. As the night unfolds, strange things begin to happen. She finds herself at the center of attention in a war between her precious Nutcracker, who has now come to life, and evil mice.
“The Nutcracker,” for me, is non-negotiable to see in some way, shape or form every winter season. Besides performing in “The Nutcracker” myself – I’ll talk about that in a moment – every year I have to either see a performance live or watch videos. Sometimes the same videos on repeat. It’s just that good.
Nothing beats an amazing in-person show experience where you’re so encapsulated in the dancing and storytelling, it’s something you keep thinking about after leaving the theater.
Fortunately, the Valley has a variety of different “Nutcrackers” showing throughout the season at different dates and times. Here’s a roundup.
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International Ballet Stars: This company features renowned dancers from around the world. They come together from countries like Moldova, Italy, Spain, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil, etc and tour doing performances around the nation. They will be performing 7 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 28) at William Saroyan Theatre.
World Ballet Company: This is another international cast that trains in their own countries and schools, but come together to rehearse and perform in various shows, one being “The Nutcracker.” Its top soloists come from places like Russia, Slovakia, Siberia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and even one from our own nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. They will be performing “The Nutcracker” at Merced Theatre at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at William Saroyan Theatre.
Dancing School of Selma: This one is special to me. This is the “Nutcracker” I’m performing in and have been performing in since I was a little girl. This is my home dance studio in Selma and we do our own rendition of “The Nutcracker” called “The Nutty Nutcracker, “where our director puts her own twist on the classic story. The Dancing School of Selma dancers will be performing at the Selma Arts Center at 4:15 and 7 p.m. Dec. 13, and 2:30 and 5 p.m. Dec. 14.
CenCal Dance Academy: Under the direction of the Stage View Performing Arts Foundation, this local company has a mission of bringing opportunities of performing arts to underserved communities in California,. The company is putting on its own version of the famous ballet, called “The Peppermint Mocha Nutcracker.” They dancers will be performing at Fresno Memorial Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 19 and 2 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20.
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Lively Arts Foundation: This non-profit organization was founded in 1989 as a support organization for bringing dance, music and other entertainment to San Joaquin Valley residents. Through its sponsorship of the Central California Ballet, the mission revolves around providing an environment of performing arts to local students and performers. Performances at William Saroyan Theatre will be 2 p.m. Dec. 20 and 21.
If you know of more “Nutcrackers” in the central San Joaquin Valley, let us know. We’ll add them to this list.
