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Week of Thursday, November 27, 2003Dance group performing classic Christmas ballet By JUDY
BUSACK What would the holiday season be like if the Nutcracker Ballet wasn’t performed? As much a part of Christmas as eggnog and candy canes, the ballet is performed every year by many dance groups. For the 35th time, the Ypsilanti Area Dancers will perform the Nutcracker Ballet under the direction of Sara Randazzo, Heidi Vitso, Laura McCarthy, Roya Panahi Tinney and Gail Choate-Petit. Keitha Reinhackel, president of the dancers, said, "All the kids are excited to do it. The costumes are colorful. Some have been used for 25 years, and we have a lot of new costumes this year. The ballet premiered Dec. 5, 1892; the music was written by Tchaikovsky, and the action takes place on Christmas Eve at the home of the very wealthy Mr. Stahlbaum. He is giving a party for his children, Clara (played by Mikayla Dolson) and Fritz (played by Anna Davis). A Mr. Rosselmeyeer arrives at the party bringing many gifts and puppets to put on a show. Clara receives a Nutcracker shaped like a toy soldier, which her brother Fritz breaks. The Nutcracker is repaired and the party continues. When Clara goes to sleep that night, she dreams the Nutcracker comes alive, along with all the other toys under the Christmas tree. The tin soldiers march around and fight an army of mice from the cellar. The Nutcracker turns into a handsome prince. Reinhackel said the first time she saw it she left with a "warm and fuzzy feeling." "It was wonderful and to see it every year is something I would do. It is something to bring your family to and enjoy it together. It puts them (ballet-goers) in the holiday spirit. With the war going on we need a lot more spirit this year," she added. Reinhackel said the Ypsilanti Area Dancers is a very professional group and put a lot of hard work into the performance. "They learn their parts in six weeks." The ballet is performed at 12:30 and 4 p.m. Dec. 6 and at 3 p.m. Dec. 7 in the Ypsilanti High School auditorium, 2095 Packard Road. Tickets are $12 and are available at Randazzo Dance, Fountain Plaza, 2760 Washtenaw, and the Dancer’s Boutique, Lamp Post Plaza, 2414 E. Stadium, Ann Arbor. Proceeds from the performance support the programs of the Ypsilanti Area Dancers and provide scholarships for dancers in the non-profit performance company. |
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