Theatre/Film
4 January, 2010
Von Heidecke presents The Nutcracker
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Von Heidecke Chicago Festival Ballet and New Philharmonic Music Director and Conductor Kirk Muspratt once again team up for their annual presentation of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic The Nutcracker at the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. A flawlessly choreographed ballet, complete with those traditional elements that people have grown so attached to; it's hard not to understand why this ballet has come to embody the spirit of the holiday season. Thanks to the impeccable scenic design of Sahin Sahinoglu, the audience was instantly swept away.
The combination of an internationally acclaimed choreographer Kenneth von Heidecke, world class principal dancers and some of the Chicago area’s most talented dance students makes this production a fully professional evening of Nutcracker heaven. Legendary prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, Chicago Festival Ballet honorary artistic advisor, lauds the production for colorful costumes, enchanting scenery and masterful dancing.
Vanessa Valecillos and Riccardo Garcia, Snow Queen and King respectively, made a marvelous pair with perfectly synced, fluid movements. Indeed, the production did an excellent job pairing the dancers together, creating a beautiful balance between female and male dancer. Technique never flawed a scene.
Vanessa Valecillos and Riccardo Garcia, Snow Queen and King respectively, made a marvelous pair with perfectly synced, fluid movements. Indeed, the production did an excellent job pairing the dancers together, creating a beautiful balance between female and male dancer. Technique never flawed a scene.
The dancers for the Grand Pas de Deux created a magical pair, graceful and deliberate, with spectacular lifts, stunning pirouettes and amazing leaps.
Von Heidecke has choreographed for many companies, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington Opera, New York City Opera, Dallas Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera and Lose Angeles Music Center Opera. He was ballet master for the U.S. Olympics gymnastics team in 1996. This season, he will choreograph productions in Panama, Alaska, and Budapest, along with future ballets in Transylvania and London. As a respected and certified member of the ballet world, it was truly an honor to sit and take in his Nutcracker.
