‘Nutcracker’ returns this weekend

The Sugar Plum Fairy, the Snow Queen and the Pointe Doll have been dancing together since they were children hiding under the skirts of Mother Goose. This weekend they will be at center stage in “The Nutcracker.”

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20101210/NEWS02/712109953

Published December 10, 2010 in the Rutland Herald         Vyto Starinskas / Staff Photo Chelsea Howland, Sarah Vredenburgh, and Anna Jonyhas, left to right, spin on stage at Springfield High Schoo on Thursday. They will be in the Nutcracker.         ‘Nutcracker’ returns this weekend         By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer         SPRINGFIELD — The Sugar Plum Fairy, the Snow Queen and the Pointe Doll have been dancing together since they were children hiding under the skirts of Mother Goose. This weekend they will be at center stage in “The Nutcracker.”         The ballet production of the students of The Dance Factory, a downtown Springfield dance studio, is a beloved Springfield Christmas tradition dating back to 1990.         Sarah Vredenburgh, 18, of Springfield, and Anna Jonynas, almost 18, of Chester, and Chelsea Howland, 18, of Springfield, can’t wait until Saturday, when the 2010 edition begins with a free morning dress rehearsal, followed by a Saturday evening performance and a Sunday matinee.         The three dancers started years ago in the beginning roles as the little children under the voluminous skirts of Mother Goose, and have worked hard and now have the coveted star roles in the dance.         Dressed in tutus of green, pink and white for the Snow Queen, the dancers all said they hoped to continue dancing once they graduate from high school in the spring.         But, for now, their focus is this weekend and being the best dancers possible.         “We still get stage right,” Howland said, with the others agreeing.         “I forget to breathe,” Jonynas said.         “The trick is to focus on the ‘Exit’ sign in the back of the auditorium,” Vredenburgh said.         Howland said she believed the often sold-out performances were a tribute to the community’s interest in its children. “People like to watch everyone grow up,” she said.         Dance Factory founder Susan Hagen said Thursday that this weekend marks the 19th production of the traditional Christmas ballet. There was a two-year hiatus at some point after the production started in 1990, she said.         Hagen said when she first started the production, she could only afford to do half of the ballet.         “It was a joint concert with some singers to benefit Habitat for Humanity,” she said.         “It’s a great ballet tradition, and it’s important for the kids in the studio, but mainly it’s been a fundraiser for the arts,” she said.         For many years, Hagen said, the performances benefited an organization called Springfield Performing Arts Project that helped bring artists to the schools. “There’s never enough money for that,” she said.         The money benefits the Drama Club at Springfield High School. “It always benefits some arts program in the school,” Hagen said.         This year the cast includes 60 dance students and eight adults from the community. “With right around 70 people, it’s an undertaking,” she said.         New this year is scenery for the second act, designed by Scott Belt of the Springfield Players. “He’s designed some new interesting things,” she said.         The production’s Christmas tree, which was new last year, grows during the magic scene, Hagen said.         This year, the Nutcracker is played by Ian Martel of Chester, an eighth-grader who takes tap classes at the Dance Factory. Clara is played by Ava Hill of Andover, a fifth-grader.         Hagen says she makes variations every year, to take advantage of her students’ strengths. She assesses the state of “The Nutcracker” costumes she has on hand and plots her cast.         “We’ve done it for so many years. We do a “Vermont Version,’ we don’t have any men,” she said with a laugh.         But this year, instead of drafting a football player from the high school to play the Nutcracker, the production has a tap dancer in the key role.         “He leaps out at the appropriate time. He looks very good,” Hagen said.         Performances at the Springfield High School’s Sheehan Auditorium include a free dress rehearsal at 9 a.m.Saturday. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students for the 7 p.m. Saturday performance and the 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20101210/NEWS02/712109953