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The Nutcracker - Dec/2004

There's a popular myth in English ballet circles that unless it happens in London it's not worth a light. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Northern Ballet School and its student company, Manchester City Ballet.

The company's traditional 'Nutcracker' - produced, directed and choreographed by David Needham - unfolds swiftly, and it is hugely entertaining. There's no trendy psychological rationale or tedious padding; the young dancers zip through the ballet with tireless enthusiasm. For them this 'Nutcracker' is no annual chore but a chance to delight in being on stage.

So it is fortunate that the Northern Ballet School has its own stage in the impressively equipped Dancehouse, opposite the Beeb, in Oxford Road. OK, so come the transformation scene, no computer-driven mechanics crank into gear, but the simple 'growing' of the Christmas tree and the peeling back of the Victorian drawing room drapes to unveil snow-kissed firs rides magically enough on Tchaikovsky's climactic score.

One of the greatest assets of this production is that we get real children being children; two tiny girls, swathed in frills and engaged in secret whispers on a chaise longue, almost steal the show. They don't quite make it because the leading dancers won't let us go.
Cara O'Shea's animated Clara never lets up for one second, while Dennis Jenson's Drosselmeyer orchestrates the proceedings with his deft conjuring and credible stage presence. As Columbine, Serina Ichitani, all doll-like precision, is keenly pursued by Keith Hackett's Harlequin, while Aiko Kato, as the sword-brandishing Arabian Knight, demonstrated a feline jump.

In this production it is Clara's older sister, Louise, who assumes the ballerina role; first as the Snow Queen and then as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Yoko Takahashi embraces these characters with a confidence beyond her years. Partnered ably by her young-looking prince, Luke Murphy (who manages her well despite being a tiny bit too short for her), Takahashi already has a secure technique, with lovely balances, zappy turns and pin-sharp fouettés, and so it is a surprise to learn that she is only in her second year.

The Act II diverts were all delivered with verve: Aiko Kato and Drew Gordon notably fiery in the Spanish; Serena Ichitani and Bryn Johnson happily entwined in the Arabian; Saki Kito, Tsubasa Tagoko and Maureen Yeung comical with their wheely teapot in the Chinese; Felicity Jowett, Charlotte Maskowska and Hazel Lam technically charged in the Merlitons and Anthony Jones, Keith Hackett and Christopher Wells playing the cossack virtuosity card in the Russian. If feet were not fully stretched, and some extensions lacking in steely definition, one could not fault the students' joie de vivre. Students still, maybe, but with many bright futures promised.

Reviewed by Emma Manning, Dancing Times

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