The playful switch of pointe shoes for tap shoes and plíes and pirouettes for slides, struts, and boogying to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s reimagined take on the Tchaikovsky classic The Nutcracker was a joyful and powerful way to begin the wintery season of holiday-themed performances last week.
Presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, Dorrance Dance’s production of The Nutcracker Suite breezed through a delightful evening at the Arlington that begin with what felt almost like a variety show of holiday favorites — from “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to “Brighten the Corner Where You Are,” “Good Morning Blues,” “Sleigh Ride,” Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and “Jingle Bells,” — all creatively interpreted by vocalist Aaron Marcellus and Dorrance Dance’s unique troupe of award-winning tap dancers who push the envelope to explore the contemporary range of possibilities for this historic art form. My only complaint about the early segment (and it’s really a minor quibble) is that the glittery curtain was lit in such a way that it wasn’t always easy to distinguish the dark costumed dancers’ moves from the background, and you definitely want to be able to see these amazing talents go-go-go!
Once we got rid of those curtains, the party really began with an onstage holiday gathering to begin the story of The Nutcracker. But unlike the holiday classic, this version, The Nutcracker Suite, was a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, jazzy fun revelation. The “March of the Toy Soldiers” became the “Peanut Butter Brigade,” and the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” was transformed into “Sugar Rum Cherry.” From the big band Walk of the Flowers, to the Soft Shoe Snowflake dance and the Rat King’s tap battle, this whimsical riff on The Nutcracker was pure, sweet pleasure from start to finish.
