Ballet to celebrate Christmas season

Okaihau dancer Rosey Robb will perform the part of Sugar Plum Fairy in the upcoming Northern Dance Academy production of The Nutcracker.

Ballet lovers are in for an early Christmas present when the Northern Dance Academy performs one of the world's most popular ballets, The Nutcracker.

The production - to be staged at Kerikeri's Turner Centre on December 10-12 - will feature every one of the academy's 65 students, who range in age from 4-18 and hail from as far away as Kaikohe and Russell, as well as guests from the New Zealand School of Dance in Wellington.

It will be the academy's third full-length ballet following the success of Coppelia in 2010 and La Fille Mal Gardee in 2012.

The Nutcracker, which is set on Christmas Eve, is traditionally performed in the festive season and is known for its sumptuous sets. Volunteers are busily creating the 176 costumes needed for the show while the stage set will be hired from the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Lending a hand with the set and props is Kate Lang, who worked on Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys among other film and TV projects.

Northern Dance Academy principal Liz Russell said the story revolved around a heroine, Clara, who falls asleep after a Christmas Eve party and enters a fantastical dream world.

"The show will be a magical Christmas treat with transformation scenes, Spanish, Arabian and Russian dances as well as mice, soldiers and a spectacular dragon. There will also be some closely guarded surprises," she said.

Kerikeri's Charlotte Gleeson, who was the star of La Fille Mal Gardee and now studies at the New Zealand School of Dance, was to played the lead role until a stress fracture of her foot put her out of action.

The Snow Queen will instead be performed by Megan Wright who, like Charlotte, is in her third year at the NZ School of Dance. She will be partnered by fellow student Luke Cooper.

The role of the Sugar Plum Fairy will be shared by Rosey Robb and Caitlin Munford-Stokes, both of Okaihau. The role of Clara will be shared by Lucia Avery and Katey Whitehead, while the Nutcracker Prince will be danced by Bjorn Aslund of Oromahoe.

Ms Russell said the academy's productions offered valuable stage experience to talented young Northlanders, helping to build their experience and confidence and boosting their chances of winning ballet scholarships to further their skills.

Nine academy students have gone on to full-time dance training. Kelsey Stokes, who started at the academy at 11, won the Sydney Eisteddfod McDonald's Ballet Scholarship in 2012 and now dances with the Australian Ballet Company.

The Nutcracker is based on the tale by Ernst Hoffmann and is set to music by Russian composer Tchaikovsky. It was first performed in St Petersburg in 1892 but the Kerikeri production will be set in the year 1915.

See www.turnercentre.co.nz or visit the venue for tickets.