Produced by Neglia Ballet Artists, in collaboration with The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Shea’s Buffalo ( Preview )…
The Holidays are upon us. It seems the season starts earlier every year with Christmas displays popping up in the stores long before the Halloween candy is gone. That sort of unrelenting commercialism can lead to an understandable cynicism, but before we prepare to plow through the next month with our heads tucked down, let us not forget that this is a season for children, the children in our lives and the children inside ourselves. My best childhood memories are wrapped up in the sights and smells and sounds of Christmas.
Soon the entertainments and concerts will be upon us. The Messiah, The Holiday Pops, A Christmas Carol, the Carol-cades, parades and church pageants, but none can compare to THE NUTCRACKER ballet. THE NUTCRACKER is the best hallmark of the holiday, it is the memory maker. And, thanks to the power of collaboration, Buffalo now has one of the best Nutcracker productions in the country.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Shea’s Performing Arts Center and Neglia Ballet Artists will, for the third consecutive year, present Neglia’s ballet set to the classic holiday score of Tchaikovsky’s THE NUTCRAKER Thanksgiving weekend, Sat. November 26 at 7 p.m. and Sun. November 27 at 2 p.m., at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.
Children,
teenagers, parents, and grandparents will melt with this visually stunning,
traditional production of The Nutcracker, conceived, choreographed and produced
by Neglia Ballet Artists Artistic Director Sergio Neglia and Executive Director
Heidi Halt. Only the magnificent Shea’s
Buffalo could offer the opulent setting which can transport an audience back to
Czarist St. Petersburg and the golden age of Russian Ballet at the The Imperial
Mariinsky Theatre, where Tchiakovsky premiered The Nutcracker in 1892.
Shea’s Buffalo
Theatre is essentially part and parcel to this production. “It is wonderful
having the opportunity to offer Neglia Ballet Artists production of The
Nutcracker in such a beautiful venue as Shea’s with the world-class BPO. It
will be a memorable theatre experience for all ages” said Heidi Halt.
No single organization
could produce this extravaganza, the collaboration of the whole artistic
community is an essential element. “We are delighted to be a part of bringing a
new Nutcracker to Buffalo,” BPO Executive Director Dan Hart said.
“Collaborations such as this one between Shea’s, the BPO and Neglia really
showcase the creativity and talent of the cultural community in Western New
York.”
And the
collaborators have reached deeply into Buffalo’s talent pool, both onstage and
off. Vincent O’Neill of the Irish Classical Theatre returns for his third
season to perform the role of Drosselmeyer.
Though not a dancer by trade, Mr. O’Neill is an accomplished mime, who
trained with the great Marcel Marceau. “Drosselmeyer is a magician who makes
Clara’s dream possible. It is a very physical role and is a great test of one’s
skills. The mime training allows for a real work-out.” Mr. O’Neill appreciates
how unique this production is. “This is
a massive undertaking, and the multi-year support from the Oishei Foundation has
permitted this Nutcracker to become truly national in its scope. I am very proud that so much talent is of
local origin. Sets, lighting design by Lynne Koscielniak and especially costumes
by Donna Massimo, are on a par with the international dancing talent, and
really, match anything one will see at the great opera houses.
The creative talent, as mentioned, includes Buffalo’s premier Costume Designer,
Donna Massimo. Ms. Massimo and her team have created over one hundred
spectacular costumes which will mesmerize the little ones, (and the
not-so-little-ones too.) This effort required hundreds of man-hours of intense
labor to create costumes that are not only beautiful, but can withstand the
rigors of the ballet.
The original lighting design and the sets were designed by Lynne
Koscielniak, professor of scenic design at the University of Buffalo. Ms. Koscielniak not only designed the sets,
but, with her crew, constructed the four scenes which rival the scale of
anything seen in New York or Chicago.
THE NUTCRACKER features 120 characters danced by a corps de
ballet, soloists and principal professional ballet dancers from around the
world and students from Neglia Conservatory of Ballet and other local dance studios.
In addition to Artistic Director Serge Neglia in the title role, thirteen year old Adelaide Clauss will reprise her role as the young Marie for
the third year in a row. Also featured
will be twelve year old Stephanie Waite from Grimsby, Ontario who will perform the role for the first time this
year.
Such a spectacular production requires extraordinary
financial support. Major funding for the
creation of this enduring holiday tradition is provided by the aforementioned John
R. Oishei Foundation, and also The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, Western New
York Foundation, and The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
So shake off those holiday blahs, get into the spirit and
take the kids to see a performance they will cherish for the rest of their lives.
What better gift can you give?
THE NUTCRACKER produced by Neglia Ballet Artists Artistic
Director Sergio Neglia and Executive Director Heidi Halt, presented in
collaboration with Shea’s Buffalo Performing Arts Centre and The Buffalo
Philharmonic Orchestra. Sat. November 26
at 7 p.m. and Sun. November 27 at 2 p.m., at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.