Harlem Christmas
By Casey Gillis on Dec. 13, 2007
By Casey Gillis
The Burg
/ 385-5525
Dance Theatre of Lynchburg’s annual production of “The Ellington Nutcracker” is constantly evolving, says Artistic Director Keith Lee.
“Every year, the cast changes. With each cast, I change the choreography to suit them,” he says. “(And) the staging of a lot of the dances have been changed and altered to update them and keep them fresh.”
The show — which is scheduled for 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Academy of Fine Arts’ Warehouse Theatre — in itself is something different from the traditional “Nutcracker.”
Based on Duke Ellington’s 1962 adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic, this version is set during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. It was the first complete record album devoted to arrangements of another composer’s work, and in it, Ellington renamed the pieces with fun titles. For instance, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” became “Sugar Rum Cherry;” “Arabian Dance” became “Arabesque Cookie;” and “Waltz of the Flowers” became “Dance of the Floreadores.”
“It’s a lively ‘Nutcracker.’ It’s jazzy and upbeat,” Lee says. “You can almost feel like you’re in Harlem.
“The Duke has a special blend of instrumentation that is international. When you hear it, you just feel the beat and feel the music.”
The original “Nutcracker” is based on a German fairy tale and tells the story of a prince whom the evil Mouse King has transformed into a nutcracker. Magician Drossel
Meyer’s goddaughter, Clara, helps the prince defeat the mice that have taken over his kingdom, and to show his thanks, he takes her to the Land of the Flowers, where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy.
“The Ellington Nutcracker” tells the tale of the Nutcracker Officer, who is home on leave from the armed services. One night, he attends a party at the Apollo Theater, and afterward gets into a fight with Ratzo (taking the place of the original’s Mouse King) and his gang.
Instead of Clara, there’s Marie, Drossel
Meyer’s surrogate niece, who winds up going to the Land of the Sweets, where she meets the Sugar Rum Cherry and Mutha Ginger and the Snaps.
“Really, the way Duke was, the dance is like a big jam session,” Lee says. “(The dancers are) having fun, just hanging out and interpreting the music, which is what it’s all about.”
IF YOU’RE GOING:
WHAT: Dance Theatre of Lynchburg’s “The Ellington Nutcracker”
WHEN: 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: The Academy of Fine Arts’ Warehouse Theatre, corner of Fifth and Commerce streets downtown
TICKETS: $10 for adults; $7.50 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at Dance Theatre of Lynchburg, the Mezzanine Gallery & Café, and Given’s Books.
INFO: (434) 846-6272 or http://www.dancelynchburg.org.
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