Nadine Lavi’s Dance Notes:"The Nutcracker: Sweetness and Grace "

This afternoon’s performance of The Nutcracker by Brighton Ballet Theater at the Colden Auditorium of Queen’s College was one of sweetness and grace. The sweetness was in the faces of the adorable children of the Russian Brooklyn-based ballet school, who danced around the stage in colorful costumes to the music with joy. The grace was in the elegant lines of guest artist ballerina Violeta Angelova, who danced the part of the Princess Marie with aplomb and assurance.

The Russian trained youngsters showed an eagerness to be on the stage and choreographer Edouard Kouchnarev’s new take on the traditional Nutcracker story held the audience's attention. Here a young Marie is an orphan maid in the boy Fritz’s household who longs to be part of the festivities and happens upon the broken Nutcracker doll discarded by Fritz while she is sweeping the floor. Herr Drosselmeier is part magician - at the beginning of the performance, he did magic tricks, complete with pulling items out of a hat much to the delight of the children in the audience - and something of a ringmaster, waving a baton at each contingent of young dancers in the Kingdom of Peace, where "dolls and sweets from such countries as Senegal, Morocco, Spain, China, Russia and France come to life and dance."

Young Marie led the other children with an appealing innocence and a definite acting ability, and the rest of the children, in beautiful costumes that were worth the ticket price just to see the imaginative and colorful attire - showed their training. Several young soloists who were guesting with the company charmed, particularly in the Spanish Dance. Brighton Ballet Theater has Russian-born dancers as its teachers and one could see some of that training here in the students, although strength and line were occasionally lacking. But all seemed to enjoy the music thoroughly and the audience warmed to the theatrical display.

The real treat, other than watching the children’s unadulterated joy of movement, was seeing Ms. Angelova dance. Ms. Angelova navigated a stage that seemed a bit small for her expressive dancing and created a romantic air with her partner. Her regal air and the sweetness of her smile lit up the stage. With her sure balances and strong pirouettes, she was a wonderful example of a clean and clear technique that charmed.

With her precise footwork, clear positions, soft port de bras and sweet smile, Ms. Angelova radiated an effervescent glow that seemed to cast a magical air over the whole production. Often, Nutcracker guestings yield less than stellar appearances by dancers, but this princess was royal in every sense of the word. She provided not only a treat for the audience, but an example of fine technique for all the young people in the audience whose own ballet dreams were surely inspired by Ms. Angelova today.

Her confidence and quick changes in direction in the solo variation were exciting to watch. But it is in Ms. Angelova’s arabesques where one catches one’s breath to see her perfect positions, though her whole performance was seamless. And with her noble air, she gave just the right accent to this role. Ms. Angelova seems to have mastered the delicate balance of connecting to the audience while drawing them into a world she has created. It can be seen in the enchantment in her eyes, the smiles, the quiet grace and the effortlessness of her movements. But it was in the pas de deux where Ms. Angelova created an enraptured romantic vision with her partner that seemed to live every note of music to its fullest.

This was a Nutcracker definitely worth seeing, for its colors, vivacity, energy and charm, from the littlest dancer on the stage to the lovely ballerina whose magical spell warmed a cold winter’s afternoon.