The Nutcracker with a RUSTIC, COUNTRY CANADIAN feel
Ballet Jorgen production comes to the FirstOntario Concert Hall on Dec. 4
There’s only one Canadian Nutcracker.
Set against stunning backdrops replicating the landscape paintings of Canada’s Group of Seven Artists, choreographer Bengt Jorgen’s tribute to Canada is a stunner.
Expect the unexpected from “The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition.”
Where else would you find dancing squirrels and flapping loons? Where else would you find a lumberjack in all-weather boots cavorting in boisterous dance.
Forget Victorian livingrooms with elegant ladies in fluffy gowns. Forget those upright men in velvet coats. This Nutcracker has a rustic, country feel.
Jorgen’s version opens wide windows, letting a waft of fresh air blow through. A countrified look at Christmas, Jorgen’s Nutcracker is set in a small Canadian town.
This year’s production, coming to Hamilton’s FirstOntario Concert Hall on Dec. 4, features two performers who adopted Canada as their dancing home.
Momoka Matsui was born in Fujuoka, Japan. Daniel Da Silva comes from São Paulo, Brazil. Cavorting lumberjacks may be strange to these two, but both dancers have embraced Canadian culture. And both are strong devotees of Ballet Jorgen and its local look at European dance classics.
“I came to Canada because my teacher in Japan, Jeremy Naismith, was from Toronto,” Matsui says. “When he came home to Canada, I followed him. I had started ballet in Japan when I was nine. I always loved the beauty of dance and wanted to make ballet my career. In Canada, I studied at The National Ballet School in Toronto and danced as one of the chefs in their Russianstyle Nutcracker by James Kudel- ka. I was 15 years old.”
Matsui joined Ballet Jorgen be- cause it seemed the perfect compa- ny for her.
“It’s smaller and the repertoire is such that I get to dance a lot.”
Matsui saw “The Nutcracker” in Japan when a Russian company came to her hometown. She was eight years old.
“I knew right then I wanted to be a dancer. It wasn’t easy though. There’s a lot of training. And you have to take your body to difficult places. It requires serious concen- tration and yet you need freedom too, so you can surrender to the music and the steps.”
Da Silva started his ballet training when he was 15, rather late in life for someone wanting a career in dance.
“Ballet is not part of our culture in Brazil” he says. “Dance is popular, but ballet is something that does not have the same impact in my country. I had to do a lot of catching up. The thing is, I like the feel of
dance. I’m very physical and I need to expend my energy. For me, dance is all about overcoming a challenge that is difficult.”
Both Matsui and Da Silva like the fact Ballet Jorgen travels to small cities and towns in Ontario where people might otherwise not see dance.
“It’s about the people in the audience. They appreciate us being there. Many of them have never seen dancers on stage before,” Da Silva says. “It’s demanding because we are on the road a lot and we play in many places that don’t have real theatres. That doesn’t matter. The people who come are thrilled to see us and we feel a real connection with them.”
Both Matsui and Da Silva like the philosophy of Ballet Jorgen and its founder, Bengt Jorgen.
“It’s down to earth,” Da Silva says. “There’s no pretension. Everyone has a personality and a dance style and we all work harmoniously.”
“I like bringing ballet to people who have never seen it,” Matsui says. “They tell us how much they have loved it and that makes us feel good.”
Ballet Jorgen is a small company with 12 dancers and three student performers. They sometimes use local children as well. It’s about accessibility and affordability for audiences. Founded by dancer-choreographer Jorgen in 1987, its determination is to bring ballet to underserved places like Hamilton.
Jorgen’s Nutcracker was first performed in 2008 and is Canadian with a capital C.
Matsui, 26, and Da Silva, 32, love dancing it and find a special connection between this ballet and their adopted country of Canada.
“It’s set in Canada, around 1911, in a small village covered with snow. A community gets together in their little schoolhouse to celebrate Christmas. From here magic takes place,” Da Silva says. “It has a real community feeling.”
GARY SMITH HAS WRITTEN ABOUT THEATRE AND DANCE FOR THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR FOR 40 YEARS. GSMITH1@COGECO.CA