Dream World

Northwest Ballet dancers ring in the holiday season with their annual gift of the 'Nutcracker'

For one weekend each year, the dancers of the Northwest Ballet Company and School enjoy a taste of celebrity.

During the five annual performances of the "Nutcracker" ballet at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, the cast experiences the trappings of big-time ballet -blinding stage lights, ornate costumes, elaborate choreography and packed houses with adoring audiences.

And last year, Tabitha Albright, fresh from her portrayal of the Queen Rat, was even asked for her autograph by a young girl in a Bigfork restaurant.

"When you're walking around town between shows, people always ask if you're in the 'Nutcracker,'" Albright, a four-year veteran of the production, said.

Packs of ballet dancers flocking through downtown Bigfork have been a regular Thanksgiving-weekend sight in Bigfork since 1993, when Northwest Ballet Company Artistic Director Carol Jakes first secured the auditorium.

Since then, the Bigfork production of "Nutcracker" has grown into a highly anticipated Flathead Valley tradition, attended every year by many families who use the event as their launchpads into the Christmas season.

"Nutcracker," a timeless ballet set to music by Tchaikovsky, is the story of Clara, who receives a nutcracker as a gift at her family's annual Christmas party. She dreams that she and the nutcracker are engaged in a fierce battle against a company of mice, led by the Queen Rat in the local version, and the nutcracker later comes to life as her prince.

The Northwest Ballet dancers see their production of the classic as the defining event of the year.

"It's what we look forward to," said Rebecca Ostrom, 15, who in her seventh "Nutcracker" role has worked her way from Mouse to a principal role as one of Clara's friends. "When the instructors watch you dance during the year, you know they're always thinking 'Nutcracker.'"

"Nutcracker" demands a high level of dedication from the dancers in the major roles. When rehearsals began in September, Lindsey Schwickert, 15, started to commute from her home in Whitefish to the Dance Art Center in Kalispell six days a week for regular lessons and rehearsals as this year's Clara.

Schwickert, who will be on stage either dancing or watching the rest of the dancers throughout the show, doesn't expect to develop a case of nerves until the final countdown. A recent rehearsal of the Snow Scene with Rodney Rickard, this year's Nutcracker Prince and her pas de deux partner, went very well, she said, and boosted her confidence considerably.

Years of training have given the principal dancers enough stage savvy to stay cool in any situation. Albright,17, confessed that she and a partner missed 16 counts in the middle of a dance last year.

"We just improvised," she said. "No one even noticed."

Ostrom, who became enamored of the ballet when she saw the production herself at a very young age, said, "I know no matter what, I'm going to at least impress the 3-year-old girls."

Jakes has complete faith in her dancers.

"Part of the joy of the creative process is trusting that the cast just gels and steps up to the plate and hits a home run every time," she said.

Jakes, who first directed "Nutcracker" in 1977 in the Flathead High School auditorium, said the production has generated its own momentum, increasing each year in its level of artistry.

"It's kind of a cycle," she said. "After each year's 'Nutcracker,' the kids work super hard, so they can get a part that's better. There's a great ownership to it - they own the show by working through the ranks."

This year's "Nutcracker" features one of the production's biggest casts ever, with close to 100 dancers. Those in the principal roles are almost all from the Northwest Ballet Company, while the smaller parts such as Peppermint Page Girls and Dewdrops are filled by students of all ages from the Northwest Ballet School. Ballet school instructors Marisa Roth and Natalie Molter also take their turns on the stage as life-sized dolls.

"We've trained our audiences to expect a great show," she said. "That's why we sell out. It does put a level of pressure on the director, but everybody just steps up. It's part of the magic of Christmas."

Even with almost 30 "Nutcrackers" behind her, Jakes still loses sleep over the production. During the weeks before Thanksgiving, she spends mornings tying up loose ends at home and then with a full slate of classes and rehearsals, usually wraps up her day at the Dance Art Center at about 9 p.m.

Jakes revels in the fact that her company is given five chances to show off everything they've worked toward, a luxury most smaller dance companies are not afforded.

But, still, it is always over too soon.

"It's like Thanksgiving dinner. You spend days getting ready, and it's over in 20 minutes."

If you go

What: "Nutcracker" ballet

Where: Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, 526 Electric Ave.

When: Nov. 25, 2 and 8 p.m.

Nov. 26, 2 and 8 p.m.

Nov. 27, 4 p.m.

Cost: Tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for seniors and children younger than 12