This past weekend was filled to the brim with wonderful things for me- a Mary Poppins performance at the Racine Theater Guild that knocked my socks off, our splendid Christmas program at church that both thrilled me and moved me to tears, two different student recitals at Carthage that were each tremendously impressive and moving in their own way, a neat Kenosha Symphony concert in which I served as narrator ….. and last but far from least, a sparkling performance of the world’s most beloved ballet, The Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky.
I have to admit that ballet has never been my thing- in part because my first significant encounter with it didn’t occur until 1997, when Kathy and I and the rest of the Carthage Alumni Choir got to experience Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” at the State Theater in Prague. (Kathy and I were lucky enough to score front row center seats!) Until then, the only ballet I had seen in person was at the opera- where usually ballet is something you sit through rather impatiently as you wait for the singing to resume. (Although I remember a performance of Ponchielli’s La Gioconda where the Dance of the Hours scored the biggest ovation of the night.) That night in Prague was quite a revelation to me because it was the first time i experienced ballet’s rich potential to vividly tell a story without a single word spoken – or sung.
Still, opera remains my musical first love and passion – and neither my calendar nor my wallet can accommodate any sort of serious interest in ballet… but I’m grateful for those intermittent occasions when it crosses my path. The latest such occasion was this past Sunday when I was able to take in the second act of the Nutcracker performance presented by Racine’s Studio of Classical Dance Arts. Kathy and I saw Act One last year before I had to run off to another commitment – and for as delightful and impressive as it was, Kathy said that I had to be sure to come back the following year and experience the second act (which includes the bast majority of the ballet’s most famous music.) It was a tight squeeze, but there was a crack in my Sunday schedule just wide enough to allow me to run over to Parkside and see what I had missed …. and I was completely mesmerized. It was a combination of Tchaikovsky’s transcendentally gorgeous score with a hometown performance that was both impressive and heartwarming.
The directors of the Studio of Classical Arts, Linda Bennett and Marc Darling, are an amazing husband/wife duo who have both been professional dancers themselves yet really have a heart for teaching. They also have other gifts that have served them very well over the last decade in this great endeavor- Linda makes every one of the sparkling costumes that are in this Nutcracker production and Marc constructs the dazzling sets. (I love the fact that Marc was also a football player and wrestler in high school. How cool is that?) But most importantly, they nurture the talent of all of these young dancers and care for them in every way – and are very much loved in return. And in their production, they do a lovely job of finding a place for everyone – from eager if inexperienced youngsters to impressively accomplished young adults. It’s what makes this an especially joyous and beautiful production.
I would be remiss if I didn’t make specific mention of the one person on that stage I know well – William Heide, who mother Ann is a marvelous violinist with whom I’ve collaborated many times at church, on my own recitals, and for other occasions. William is the younger and quieter of her two children, but his talent for dance is absolutely spectacular. When he takes the stage, it’s hard to pay attention to anyone or anything else; he moves with such effortless, musical grace. At many points during Sunday’s performance, I found myself watching him with a huge lump in my throat – moved to tears by the sight of this young man doing what he loves and doing it so supremely well. I am equally moved by the fact that he is so fortunate to live in a community where this opportunity is available to him …. and that he would be blessed to have such accomplished and loving teachers to mentoring him. As beautiful as the ballet itself was – and this production of it – just as beautiful to me was the thought of the love and devotion that makes such a thing possible.
pictured at the top: the curtain call. The huge crowd (there was hardly an empty seat) gave the cast a much deserved standing ovation.
