The Helix, Glasnevin
With all the hype around Monica Loughman and her promise to help young ballerinas achieve their dreams, one could have expected more sugary sweetness than substance from her company’s Nutcracker.
Thankfully, the dancers’ disciplined Russian training earned more notice than Loughman’s sparkly shoes and ball gown in Act I.
Loughman, who began her own training at age 14 at the Perm State Ballet School in Russia, has built up a cadre of dancers aiming to make ballet their full-time profession. The corps de ballet and soloists appear well on their way to mastering clear, consistent ballet technique, but it remains uncertain whether Loughman’s company and vision will develop to support them. Ballet has suffered a chequered history in Ireland.
Still, her ambition fuelled this production, including choreography in Act II that was concise and well-executed, yet geared toward dancers trying to master more difficult moves. The corps worked expertly together, with each head turned at the proper angle, every wrist in place so that any less-than-perfect footwork was disguised by their serene demeanour. The Chinese and Russian dances in particular exuded great energy despite some minor rough edges, and even guest principals Inessa Bikbulatova (from the Kremlin Ballet) and Ivan Mikhalev (from the Bolshoi) kept from overshadowing the rest of the cast with their lush pas de deux.
As in any Nutcracker, these two dancers exemplified what the others are aspiring towards – athleticism, artistry, the ability to transcend the everyday with even the slightest magical spark. But they weren't the only ones who excelled.
Hip-hop dancers Ian Harris, Gavin Kelly, Nathan Evans and Donking Rongavilla took turns as Drosselmeyer-like characters in a refreshing twist to the storyline. All surprise and wonder, they moved more like creatures from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderlandthan their counterparts in an otherwise traditional Nutcracker.
