“The Nutcracker Suite” is a holiday gift to the community from Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy, Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus.The production, which will open at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, is a shorter version of the Christmas ballet originally choreographed by the company’s founder Willam F. Christensen in the 1950s, said Allison DeBona, Peggy Bergmann Park City campus principal.“We somehow managed to put the entire production into just one hour,” she said. “There is a 15-minute intermission, but all the dancing happens in an hour, so you don’t miss a single aspect of the traditional ballet.”DeBona said her husband Rex Tilton was instrumental in shortening Tchaikovsky’s score for the Park City performances.“I think Tchaikovsky would roll in his grave when he sees how much time we’ve taken out in the score,” she said with a laugh. Ballet West II Artist Adrian Fite, as the Cavalier, dances with Annika Brown, who is cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy, perform a the Grand Pas De Deux during rehearsals for the Ballet West Academy, Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus’ upcoming production of “The Nutcracker Suite.” Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordStill, the productions maintain the full, opening party scene, the soldier and mice battle scene and the transformation scene where the nutcracker turns into the prince scene, according to DeBona.“We also have Snow (pas de deux) and every divertissement in Act II, along with the (Sugar Plum Fairy) grand pas de deux and coda,” she said. “The battle scene is a little shorter, and Waltz of the Flowers is not seven minutes long. It’s three and a half minutes.”Shortening the time on stage doesn’t mean “The Nutcracker Suite” skimps on the technical dancing, DeBona said.“The one thing I can say for certain is our version is the traditional version,” she said. “It’s classical ballet, and as a school we try to instill the foundation of classical ballet in the entire corps. So there are no aspects of any other genres of dance outside of what you will expect.”As emphasis, “The Nutcracker Suite” will feature guest performers from the Ballet West Trainee Division — Ballet West II Dancer Adrian Fite as the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier in both shows and local actor Ben Lowell as Drosselmeyer, the mysterious toymaker who builds the nutcracker doll for the ballet’s main character, Clara.Rounding out the cast are academy dancers, DeBona said.“Every student from Elementary A up until Level 8 will be in the productions,” she said. “And that includes our Beginner C babies,” she said.Sayre Stowell high fives her teacher, Allison DeBona, who is also the Ballet West Academy principal at the Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus, after a rehearsal for “The Nutcracker Suite.” Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordOne of those dancers is Kavita Brown, a 14-year-old dancer who attends Treasure Mountain Junior High School, DeBona said.“Kavita Brown was our very first Clara when Rex and I reproduced this show three years ago,” she said. “She was this young lady who was very talented beyond her age. So we pushed her very quickly to dance with the older kids, and she is stepping out this year in some of the more difficult divertissements. She’s a special young lady, and both her and her sister, Maya, are in the show.”Brown remembers what it was like to dance as Clara.“It was really fun because it was my first year at Ballet West,” she said. “It felt special because I had always thought about dancing as Clara when I started dancing when I was really little. But I thought that would only happen when I was older. So, it surprised me when I was cast.”Brown has taken on a stable of other roles this year.“I’m the Fairytale Princess, and I’m dancing in the Waltz of the Flowers and the Snow Corps, and I’m also a Mirliton,” she said.Those roles are the result of Brown’s hard work and DeBona’s and Tilton’s trust and training.“They have pushed me because after I first started they put me with the older girls,” Brown said. “I didn’t know all the steps, but they helped and made me do it. I never thought I could dance the steps I do now when I was younger. I’m dancing with people older than me, and it gives me some good pressure to work harder.”Allison DeBona, Ballet West Academy, Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus principal, speaks to the academy’s students after a “Nutcracker Suite” rehearsal on Saturday. The production, which will be performed Dec. 7, is a magical and accessible way to introduce young children to classical ballet, according to DeBona. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe hard work has helped Brown develop some strong self-confidence.“We perform a lot, and that helps, because I don’t get as scared as I used to,” she said. “Performing can be scary, but it can be fun to dance with your friends and give a show to people and entertain.”Kavita and her friends at the academy always make sure to encourage each other while rehearsing and before going on stage.“When we’re in the dressing room, we all think about what we’re going to do,” she said. “We also plan things together and talk and soak our feet, because they do get swollen. We also encourage each other and tell everyone we’re going to do great.”DeBona remembers what it was like when she first stepped on stage as Clara and other characters like the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy when she danced “The Nutcracker.”“Those are all magical memories and highlights of my life when I was an aspiring ballerina,” she said. “So being able to give these young dancers and opportunity roles in a premiere like this is just the most special thing you can do as a dance teacher, because there is nothing more magical than what we’re doing here with the children.”Not only does that magic touch the dancers, but also the children and adults in the audience, according to DeBona.“Sometimes it can be scary for families with young children to pay for tickets, travel down to the Capitol Theatre while wondering if they’ll have to leave early because the youngsters weren’t ready to sit and watch a full-length ballet,” she said. “We hope our shorter ‘Nutcracker Suite’ will be the production that can introduce them to (classical ballet) elements, so they can eventually go downtown to see America’s first ‘Nutcracker.’”The Park City show is also accessible in terms of price, DeBona said.“Tickets are only $5 for those who are 0 to 11 years old,” she said. “Babes in arms are allowed at this show, and their tickets are only $5, as well.”Brown looks forward to performing in front of a hometown audience.“It means I can share the experience and magic with everyone, and it’s easy because they can come to Park City, instead of having to go to Salt Lake,” she said. “I remember when I first saw ‘The Nutcracker’ when I was really little, and it was so good.”Brown, who plans to pursue dancing when she becomes an adult, wanted to pass some advice on to younger dancers.“It will never get easier, because you will start to learn harder things,” she said. “But it will probably be more fun, because you will dance more fully. I started when I was little, and I just stuck with it. Now, it’s my favorite thing, and I’ve made the best friends ever.”Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus’ ‘The Nutcracker Suite’When: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7 Where: Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, 1750 Kearns Blvd.  Cost: $5 for kids ages 0 to 11; $18 for ages 12 to adult Tickets: boxoffice.balletwest.org/overview/32568 Note: Tickets will also be available for purchase with credit card at the door Web: academy.balletwest.orgThe post ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ is a magical and accessible introduction to classical ballet appeared first on Park Record.