'Nutcracker' a delightful start to holidays

Between the agile dancers and the subtle -- yet elaborate -- sets, watching the 2000 version of the IU Ballet Theater's "The Nutcracker" proved an excellent way to jump headfirst into the holiday season. All the dancers gave top notch performances; it's hard to believe most are students. From the opening curtain to the final applause, the performance was enthralling.\n"The Nutcracker" has been synonymous with Christmas since it was written 108 years ago, but the technical expertise with which the IU troupe executed it made the this year's production unique.\n"This ballet is an international classic because it launches everyone into the holiday spirit," conductor Ray Cramer said before the performance. The production of this classic by the IU Ballet Theater undoubtedly did that and a lot more."\nWeaving a spell over the sold out Musical Arts Center, the 50 dancers -- along with children from the Bloomington community -- transformed the stage into a fascinating winter wonderland where mice and toy soldiers jousted and Chinese and Arabian dancers jaunted.\nWhile ballet is a universal art, it has many different dialects or versions. This year's performance was an absolute thrill because of its technical difficulty. The IU Ballet Theater showed off its expertise with a Russian flavor in several fascinating dance sequences. \nChoreographer Jacques Cesbron did an excellent job of combining Russian and West European styles.\nThe dancers including Senior Laurie Basloe (Clara) and Freshman Scott Harris (the Nutcracker) performed with a broad yet heroic style of assertive choreography, while exemplifying the underlying tenets of romanticism and passion.\nThe most striking elements of the production were undoubtedly the scenes in which the various dancers portrayed different cultures. They performed a Spanish dance, a Chinese dance (with superb leaping and tumbling, which made the art of ballet almost gymnastic in nature), an Arabian dance and an ethnic Russian dance. The dances riveted the audience, which reacted with thunderous rounds of applause.\nThe dancing was skillful, the choreography disciplined and the storytelling vibrant. The effect of the performance on the audience was almost magical. \nThroughout the nearly two hour performance they sat in rapt attention, watching the graceful movements and taking in Tchaikovsky's music. It was a truly exceptional production this year and everyone who attended got a taste for the professionalism which the IU School of Music is known.