World premiere of a local angle on a timeless classic is set later this week
It is the famous, classic Nutcracker, only with a local touch that makes it one of a kind.
This week, Columbia Dance will perform the world debut of its adaptation of The Nutcracker, with a Fort Vancouver historical twist.
“I personally find it so fantastic that our Nutcracker can be so special and unique to where we are and where we live,” said Rose Morris, a freshman from Camas High School who is a member of the Columbia Dance company.
“It’s quite exhilarating,” added Thuy Chau, a sophomore at Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. “It’s fun to be able to put your own spin on it because no one has done these characters before. It’s been a wonderful experience.”
The company has been preparing for months for this event. The performance debuts Friday at Skyview High School and has a total of five performances through Sunday.
According to a press release from Columbia Dance, there will be tutus and Tchaikovsky, magic, and mystery, as well as a one-of-a-kind production that features beavers fighting fur trappers, dancing wapato plants, and Oregon Trail children arriving via covered wagons.
The famous ballet now has a local twist, thanks to an idea that came to Becky Moore, the artistic director of Columbia Dance. She visited Fort Vancouver when she first moved to Clark County. From that day, she wanted to weave local history with the holiday classic.
This story is set in the 1840s as folks prepare for Fort Vancouver’s holiday party. James Douglas, the chief trader for the Fort, is there. So, too, is a family from Scotland, a couple from Hawaii, a Navy lieutenant from England, and Dr. McLoughlin, Chief Factor of the fort. Oh, and a fur trapper arrives, too.
The ballet also has a scene depicting the three Japanese castaways who survived 14 months at sea before landing at what is now Washington. The three were brought to Fort Vancouver.
There is another scene to highlight the contributions of indigenous peoples from the 1800s. Moore said the company wanted to ensure they did this with respect. She asked local tribes for inspiration.
Together, they came up with the wapato plant.
“It’s a beautiful, leafy plant. It grows at the bottom of water. Indigenous women would wade into the water and use their feet to loosen up the bulb of the plant. It would float to the surface and they would put it into the canoe,” Moore said.
That sparked an idea.
“Feet loosening up something? That feels so balletic,” Moore said. “Instead of dressing up as indigenous people, we’re dressing up as wapato plants. Six dancing wapato in the river, and the lead dancer is a beautiful salmon. She is trying to swim upstream through the Wapato River. There is no other Nutcracker with a Wapato River and salmon.”
While the story might be new, the ballet includes the traditional Nutcracker music.
The company is made up of talented dancers from throughout Clark County, students from elementary school, middle school, and high school. There are even a few adults who have volunteered to take the stage, too.
The dancers are ready for their premiere performance.
“It’s very special in my heart,” said Sicily Dickman, a senior at Skyview High School, who plays a
Sugar Plumeria, a doll who comes to life. “This is like my second family. The community here is so amazing.”
Dickman has been dancing for 12 years.
“Dance is a way for me to escape the world a little bit,” Dickman said. “It’s a crazy world out there, right? I come here … and I can turn all that off and focus on my technique … and dance with lovely people.”
Chau has been dancing for four years.
The Nutcracker (a new adaptation featuring Fort Vancouver history)
Where: Skyview High School
Performances:
6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16 (Sensory friendly show)
1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17
1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18Tickets: Advanced tickets are $23 for adults, $18 for youth/senior. Tickets can be purchased at www.columbiadance.org. Tickets at the door are $25 and $20. There is also a livestream available for purchase.
“Dance means an opportunity for me to be able to express a certain emotion or idea through another character,” Chau said. “I appreciate how dance allows me to become someone else for a moment.”
Morris also has been dancing for four years.
“It’s my creative outlet,” Morris said. “Ballet has taught me so much. It teaches me about self respect and pushing myself far.”
This week, Morris, and the rest of the company at Columbia Dance, will push themselves in a world premier, adding some Clark County history to a timeless classic.
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