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Show 2F fia'pplrmrnt to: The Wasatch Wave, The Put Record ud The Summit Coaaty Bee Nutcracker Ballet Story ted Photos by Nm Chalet Brigham Young University Campus. Three Ogden performances are set for Jan. 4 and 5 on the campus of Weber State College and a final performance of the Nutcracker will be Jan. 8 in Logan at Utah State University. The Utah Symphony appears with Ballet West in every performance except Logan. The Nutcracker is a fairy tale which took place in Germany around 1850. The first full-leng- th American Nutcracker was presented in 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet under the direction of Wiliam Christensen. He again choreographed it especially for the Utah Gvic Ballet (now Ballet West) in 1956. Christensen is still intimately involved with the Salt Lake Production. He was at Tuesday nights foil company The excitement of the stage lights will never dim for these yonng dancers. The red velvet seats of the Capitol Theater are empty ' but the stage is swirling with activity.. Smaller steps! Back to your original Ah yes, Yes!! .positions.. That's it!" calls out Ballet Mistress Sondra Sugai. The dancers dash in and out. between the wings perfecting their performance for the opening of the NUTCRACKER BALLET. Just behind the stage lights, two young dancers warm up with graceful stretches. On cue, they march toward center stage behind the Nutcracker. Suddenly the toy soldiers are attacked by the Mouse King. The soldiers fight bravely and are nearly overcome when Clara aims her slipper at the Mouse Kings head'. The story is probably famil ( iar, the Nutcracker, who has become a handsome prince, thanks Gara by inviting her to the Kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Each year the ballet is replayed but each year it is newly exciting especially for two Park City .ballerinas who will perform with the, Ballet West Company for the first time. Ballet West became the official ballet company for the Federation of Rocky Mountain States in 1968 and is now the fifth largest ballet company in America. Bruce Marks is the artistic director and Sondra Sugai is the current Ballet Mistress. This is the fourth year in a row that I have tried out for the Nutcracker and somehow I felt that this was the year I was going to make it, exclaimed Cheryl Perry. The first few times I was too nervous but this year I knew what to do and I really Heather Moyle of Saydervtile awaits her cae la the wings of the Capitol Theater stage. concentrated.". I really wanted to be in it," added Heather Moyle. The auditions were held in - Heather and Cheryl, who attend the Middle School in Park City, warm ap before rehearsal. October. Out of 130 serious ' young aspiring ballet students, two casts of twenty wer chosen. There are actually five Garas," explains Heather. In November, they were measured by tiie wardrobe mistress and tills month while the .36 member company of Ballet West has been on the road in Phoenix and Long Beach, the local casts, including Heather and Cheryl have begun intensive rehearsals.' Following the Salt Lake City run of IS Nutcracker Dec. 20 performances through 31, the foil touring company will travel to Provo for two performances on the Assistant Ballet Mistress Tea ley Taylor coaches the young daacfcrs ia backstage protocol. . |