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I am fresh out of Tuesday the 18th's performance of the Royal's Nutcracker, after standing for over 2 hours, perhaps I am just cranky, but I was a bit disappointed with the dancing, but without a doubt, mesmerized with the set design, lighting, and happy with most of the costumes.<P>The opening scenes and the party scene were delightful, and Christopher Saunders' Drosselmeyer was wonderfully mysterious yet regal. The doll dances were great, brisk and robotic. PRior to the battle scene, Clara's dream takes on the the atmostphere of the nightmare with the dolls scaring her and wheeling her about. This proved successful in setting the mood for the more agressive battle scene. The fighting involved a mixture of the organized combat and background chaos. I personally prefer more chaos, but most professional productions refrain from more violence, perhaps it's for the best. <P>Does anyone know where the angels originate? are they in Ivanov's original? forgive my ignorance, but I find them stiff, and intrusive to the whole of the production, no matter who it is. SFB uses them, as does NYCB i believe. ABT i cannot remember...if they were to use them, I would personally prefer a more floaty costume, that would allow dancing, and wings that are not formed by cookie cutters. I realize that the angel was a life-size representation of the one that topped the tree in the party scene, however, I still do not find any justification for their intrusion. I think that the Transition to Snow would be better served with a solo angel role, a row of identical gingerbread cookies in the shape of angels gets tedious almost instantly. And I do not feel these do justice to this section of Tchaikowsky's score, again, I would like to see more dancing here. The increased level of dancing between Clara and the Prince, and their later incorporation into the land of sweets was playful and worked with the production. Their snow pas de deux had many beautiful moments, I would have liked her highly arched combre (forgive the lack of accents) back that Clara does leaning into the Nutcracker, to have lasted longer...but always a lovely moment nevertheless.<P>The snow costumes and sets were again beautiful. The corps on the whole of the production was on the untidy end of the scale and the snowflakes were no exception. ALthough much of the scene is meant to be a chaotic snow flury, this does not justify, nor is ever a reason for lack of syncronisation among dancers. The first entrance of the snowflakes after their soloist performs, seemed lackluster and I feel this to originate from the downward waltz movement, when the music so graciously provides the ear with the liquid harp and a gust of winds. Upward energetic movement, emphasizing the surge in the sound would suit the music better. If one choreographed a downward movement and then swept into something more vertical, this would do, however Wright's work after Ivanov seems to leave us with a rather even series of steps, unvarying in their stresses of the music and even in the level of height in the dancing.<P>land of sweets in short: again, corps work needs a lot of help. Merlatons had no energy for their jumps (faiee? sp??? somebody help? no dictionary with me...apologize once again for the ignorance-but those were especially pathetic). Also, a note to Wright and other choreographers, how many times has the audience seen a dance ended perfectly with more than one person pirouetting into a kneeling or other land-bound pose? I know I have never seen one in my current memory bank, it is not recommended and not a smart move. IT almost always looks shabby and does not flatter the dancers, even such a difference as height can affect the results, not even the ability of the dancers. This tuesday ending of the merlaton dance was most unfortunate in its final moment of disarray.<P>The arabian dance needs more sultry, seductive, and involved dancing. Vanessa Palmer stood, posed, draped on occasion, and then walked inbetween her three men. Their costumes also need revamping, the pink is too innocent a shade, but if one wants to keep with the pastels then perhaps an icy blue or a lavender of sorts would be better. Something in the blue/purple range, never pink for that role. The Chinese dance was nothing spectacular, as is unfortunately the case. Such fun music, and always so much pantomime and fooling around instead of dancing. Jaimic Tapper engaged the audience as the rose fairy, however again, oftentimes I found the choreography lacking connection with the music. Or rather, lacking a more powerful connection with the music. When she partners the four men, and dancing down the line and back up again (a la rose adagio), it seemed a waste of the music, in which high extensions and sweepings across the stage which paint the notes would enhance the her role. I prefer the music to be painted by the dancer's movement rather than stiffly bottled up in a more rigid structure, such as this series of partnering, albeit short.<P>This was my first viewing of Leanne Benjamin, and sadly I ached for SFB's Joanna Berman or Oakland Ballet's Erin Yarbrough, or anyone that could maintain a permanent aura and presence on the stage. Benjamin could not pick a mood or a countenance to stay with, wavering frequently between the cheery smile, the grave face, and a bizarre open-mouthed gape out into the black abyss that is the audience. It seemd as if she was rehearsing, and when she did something she liked, she would smile, or if not then she was observing herself in the mirror (perhaps the gape?) Whatever sparkle, presence, and engagement that the Sugar Plum Fairy requires, Benjamin did not have it. Choreographically, the lift upstage right wherein she beat her legs and her Prince (Johan Persson) caught her and swung her like an over-sized child, was not attractive. There was also a moment of the parallel passe, center stage, in which Benjamin draped back with her arms in 3rd arabesque, with the exception of some character dancing, a parallel position does not belong on the Sugar Plum Fairy, and if it does, it certainly does not on such a mediocre movement. In a lift, perhaps, but not just a static pose center stage of all places. In his solo Persson dug his right foot into the ground and was practically parallel for his menege preparation, and most of the time he was not in sync with Benjamin, especially in the finale. He kept looking at her and then responded to her steps, he looked down at her feet blatantly, as if to copy her steps because he did not know them himself. Before Benjamin's menege she committed the unforgivable fault of the double preparation by digging her right foot into the ground before beginning to turn, as if she were a horse or some other four legged animal grinding the turf before setting off-An unattractive movement for Sugar Plum.<P>Aside from choreographic and some costume issues (especially Clara's blue bows in her hair, wrong for the color scheme, and annoying to watch bobble through the entire production) I loved the way Wright staged this production. The sets flowed seamlessly one into the other, and the color schemes, and first act costuming were full of the richness of the Staulbaum's home, the mystery of the nightmare, and the sparklings of Clara's sweeter dreams. Properly pastel in the 2nd act, cupcake perfection. The Royal's dancing however, has declined since I last saw them in the states, to my great distress. I love this company dearly and would hope that their men would learn to land solidly, and that the entire corps would work to be together. please. corps. one body. please!
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