THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 7, 1995 TAG: 9512070035
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUE VANHECKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
A BELOVED HOLIDAY tradition begins this weekend when the Old Dominion University Ballet presents Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ``The Nutcracker.'' It will mark the company's 23rd season of ``Nutcracker'' under the careful supervision of director Istvan Ament.
Ament credits Tchaikovsky for keeping the ballet timeless.
``Everybody who is doing `The Nutcracker' yearly is extremely lucky that Tchaikovsky's music is so magnificent,'' he said. ``Every year it seems fresh and new. I don't get tired of it.''
Ament's choreography, only gently tweaked and tinkered with annually, has also stood the test of time.
``Basically it's the same choreography,'' he explained, ``but I always adjust it. It's just like a university sports team, you have different generations. If you have a strong generation then you make it more demanding for them, so they have a challenge to face. If you have a (less skilled) generation, then you adapt to that.
``This year we have an extremely strong generation so it will be more demanding.''
Yulia Averochkina and Vyachislav Ilyia, soloists from the esteemed Maly Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, are this season's guest artists.
``They are very good dancers, very young,'' Ament said.
Andrews Sill, former associate conductor of the Virginia Symphony and now with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, will lead the Virginia Symphony for the local performances of ``The Nutcracker.'' The Virginia Children's Chorus will also accompany the ballet.
Though ``The Nutcracker'' storyline revolves around a young girl's adventures in a holiday fantasyland where toys have come to life, Ament emphasizes that children are not the ballet's only audience.
``The main audience for `The Nutcracker' is the family,'' he said. ``This is the other secret to the longevity of the show. The score was written 103 years ago, and since then, somewhere in the world, somebody has played `The Nutcracker' every single year.
``Now, if you will check how many U.S. cities `The Nutcracker' is performed in during December, you would be amazed. Probably no other performance can really compete with `The Nutcracker' in popularity. The reason is that this is really a family affair. Here's something for all ages: grandpas, grandmas, their children and their grandchildren, too.
So is the rest of the world as wild for ``The Nutcracker'' as the U.S.?
``I'm European and I have close contact with Europe,'' Ament said. `` `The Nutcracker' in Europe is not really specifically a Christmas performance only. They hit the middle of the summer, too. `The Nutcracker' in Europe is a great classical ballet performance. Here in the States it became a Christmas tradition.''
This season will also mark the ODU Ballet's 20th year of school performances, where children are brought into a ``grown-up'' venue for the show.
``It's a very good way to introduce youngsters to live performances,'' Ament said. ``Last year we were in Chrysler Hall, we had three school performances, and each school performance was sold out completely. Twenty-five hundred children sitting in the big hall and, believe it or not, there was no need for chaperones or teachers to take anyone out.
``Absolutely everybody was focused on what was happening on the stage. We let the show entertain them as much as possible. In 20 years we've had absolutely no problem with misbehaving.''
Some children who have seen the ODU Ballet's ``Nutcracker'' have pursued dancing themselves. Ament gives the example of Hampton Roads native Ryan White, last year's guest artist.
``Presently (White) is dancing in Dresden, Germany, but just a year ago was a member of a company in St. Petersburg,'' Ament said. ``He got hooked on dance at one of the school performances of `Nutcracker' in 1979. That was his first contact with dance, with live performance. Then he became a student, went through almost every children's part and then grown-up part in the show. Now he's a very successful professional dancer.''
``The Nutcracker'' moves some people to dance and leaves a lasting impression on most everyone.
Ament recalls several instances where people ``came backstage and told me, `You know, Mr. Ament, the first time I saw it, I was a child, my parents brought me. Now I am bringing my children to the show.' It's a tradition.'' ILLUSTRATION: DANCE NOTES
WHAT: ``The Nutcracker,'' Old Dominion University Ballet with
the Virginia Symphony.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17 at the
Harrison Opera House.
TICKETS: $12-25. (discounts available) at the Pavilion box
office (428-8000) ,Scope box office (664-6464). Ticketmaster outlets
(671-8100 to charge by phone.)
GARY KNAPP
The Virginian-Pilot
[Color Photo]
Vyachuskav Ilyia, left, and Yulia Averochkina, soloists from the
esteemed Maly Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, are guest artists
in the ODU ballet's "Nutcracker."
by CNB