Several dancers from Wellington County will be performing in Canada’s Ballet Jörgen production of The Nutcracker – a Canadian Tradition.
For some it has become a tradition in itself to perform in the Christmas show, and for others it’s their very first time.
Jordyn Bartholomew, 14, has been part of the Canada’s Ballet Jörgen performance for the last six years, auditioning for the first time when she was nine years old.
Having danced since she was three, the Rockwood resident has held every possible role for local youths in the Nutcracker. This year she is doing a repeat of last year’s dragonfly character.
“It’s fun because … I get to more embellish the role that I have because I already know the choreography … so it’s not like I’m learning the steps all over again,” she said. “I kind of muscle memory from last year so I get to have more fun with the character.”
On the other hand, for 13-year-old Owen Talbot, this year’s The Nutcracker – a Canadian Tradition is his first time being part of Canada’s Ballet Jörgen.
“I saw the Nutcracker … last year and it just really caught my eye so I auditioned this year,” the Elora teen said.
Though it was his first audition, he said the process wasn’t too intimidating.
“I was really, really nervous at first actually… but I saw a lot of people really happy when they came out so it kind of made me a little less nervous and when I came in and learned some little pieces of [choreography] it was really fun,” he said. “It was not nerve-racking at all.”
Talbot was given the chipmunk role.
“I was really, really happy when I found out that I made the part, so it was a really good feeling,” he said.
Though this is Talbot’s first year in The Nutcracker – a Canadian Tradition he too has been dancing since he was three and he is hoping to be dancing in the show again next year.
The Nutcracker – a Canadian Tradition is a reworking of the classic Nutcracker ballet that features, as backdrops, three works by Canada’s 20th century landscape artists: Franklin Carmichael’s Church and Houses at Bisset (1931), Tom Thomson’s Snow in the Woods (1916) and L.L. FitzGerald’s Trees and Wildflowers (1922).
The performance is set in the early 1900s and brings to life the magical tale of a little girl’s Christmas dream and her journey through Canada’s northern landscapes.
For both Bartholomew and Talbot it’s about the experience as much as the dancing itself.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing all the people with the big roles and well, I’m just really looking forward to being able to perform with the Nutcracker,” Talbot said.
Bartholomew agreed.
“I really like being part of the Nutcracker at Christmas time,” she said. “It’s fun to be able to go backstage and everything and it’s … the experience of being able to be there and see everything … the inner workings of a ballet … it’s awesome.”
She also said she doesn’t have any expectations going into auditions and just goes to experience being part of the process.
“It’s about being able to go and learn and have experience and just be a part of something and even if you don’t get in … that’s not even what it’s all about, it’s just about … sharing your love for dance,” she said.
Bartholomew and Talbot are not the only Wellington County dancers performing in The Nutcracker – a Canadian Tradition. Other county dancers include:
– Morgan Taylor of Rockwood as a squirrel;
– Caroline Widdicombe of Puslinch as a dragonfly;
– Emily Berlinghoff of Puslinch as a squirrel; and
– Lola Hildebrand of Fergus as a chipmunk and frog.
Guelph dancers include: Samantha Van Sickle, Paige Amiro, Emma Logie, Jessica Marshall, Nina Fisher, Gillian Blair, Clarie Miron and Ella Norton.
The Nutcracker – a Canadian Tradition will be on stage on Dec. 22 and 23 at 7:30pm at the River Run Centre in Guelph.
Tickets are now on sale at River Run Centre box office at 519-763-3000 or 1-877-520-2408 or at www.riverrun.ca.
