Ballet Ouest back with seasonal favourite

Ballet Ouest’s exquisitely crafted adaptation of The Nutcracker, with its timeless music by Tchaikovsky, will be presented Dec. 1 and 2 at the Pierre Peladeau Centre in Montreal. Over 100 cast members – from young West Islanders to professionals of international renown – are involved in the production, which has been seen by over 180,000 people since it was first staged in 1984.

“Something new we have this year is two dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, which doesn’t perform here often. It’s our Christmas gift to Montreal,” said company founder and artistic director Margaret Mehuys.

But the Beaconsfield resident said she is also excited about another fresh aspect of the annual show.

Two students from Danse Etude – an enriched program which Ballet Ouest introduced to local high schools this fall – will appear in two important roles.

Cast as the Nutcracker Prince is “Vincent Davis from John Rennie High School, who has just returned from the National Ballet School. He has developed some incredible skills. Sixteen-year-old Christine Daigle, who will be going on tour with us, will dance the role of Clara,” Mehuys said.

In the other versions of The Nutcracker, Clara is much younger.

“But both of them are at the right age to explore other possibilities. I’ve recreated the roles and changed the choreography, making the focus more on the moment Clara leaves childhood. It’s her first romance and I’ve redesigned every detail to symbolize her transition into womanhood. It’s the impetus for everything that happens after that.

“It’s because of Danse Etude that I had the time and the opportunity to work with them (students train over a dozen hours per week at Ballet Ouest’s centre in Pointe Claire),” Mehuys said, adding “the two dance beautifully together; there’s a real connection.”

In addition to the three public shows Dec. 1 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 2 at 2, The Nutcracker will also be performed for students of 10 area schools before heading off to Trois-Rivieres and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

The Pierre Peladeau Centre is located at 300 de Maisonneuve St. E. For tickets call 514-987-6919 or 514-790-1245.