The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory held its annual spring performances last weekend, just next door to their studio at the neighboring Warner Theatre in Torrington, Conn. Though the city’s downtown has seen a recent revitalization of the arts, particularly with the creation of Five Points Gallery and its outposts, Nutmeg Ballet has trained students for over five decades since its founding by Sharon Dante in 1969. Considering its origin as a one-room studio, the ballet conservatory, now under the artistic director of Victoria Mazzarelli, currently takes up an impressive stretch of Main Street.
Nutmeg Ballet’s December production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” has become a regular holiday draw, but the spring performance offered a varied showcase for the conservatory’s students to flash their skills in both classic and contemporary choreography. The first act included musical selections that ranged from Joseph Haydn’s “Divertimento” composition, Dean Martin’s 1960s pop, and a modern score by film and television composer Max Richter. The real treat, however, came in the second act, with beautifully costumed excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s “The Sleeping Beauty.”
Composed at the end of the 19th century, the Russian ballet follows the calamitous christening of the cursed princess who falls into a 100-year slumber until awakened by a traveling prince. Nutmeg’s production opened with the delightful “Grande Valse Villageoise” known commonly as “The Garland Waltz” with the kingdom’s townsfolk performing a jubilant dance of flowers in honor of the princess’s 16th birthday. This is the ballet’s most famous tune, reworked by Walt Disney as “Once Upon A Dream” for the 1959 animated film.
The celebration then jumped to the ballet’s conclusion — the nuptuals of Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré, attended by a host of fairy tale characters who perform in succession, granting ensemble members each a turn under the spotlight. Molly Grealis and Andrew Roberts found good comedy as Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf, while Cameron Sedlack and Nathaniel Penland shone as they maneuvered the challenging wedding pas de deux. The pair that proved to be the particular standout, clad in cerulean feathers, was Julianne Arduino as Princess Florine with the role of The Blue Bird performed by Eli Petraccia, who is, in any age group, a magnificent leaper on the stage.
For more on Nutmeg Ballet and future performances go to www.nutmegconservatory.org
Photo by Luke Haughwout
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