Start Your Holiday with 'The Nutcracker' in East Stroudsburg
Herr Drosselmeyer (Richard Paige), prepares to wind up the mechanical Dancing Doll (Kelsey Wheeler) he has brought for Clara, as Clara's mother, Mrs. Stahlbaum (Melissa Ritchie), looks on.
(Photo - IIP Studios) |
By MELANIE VANDERVEER
For the Pocono Record
Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 2:00 am
"The Nutcracker" ballet is a holiday favorite for many people. Even though you may have seen it before, each performance offers a little bit of a twist and is always a welcomed addition to the start of the holiday season.
Notara Dance Theater in Stroudsburg will be offering their version of the classic ballet for the 31st year. Owner Sally Notara tries to keep it as close as the original version with some slight changes each year.
“It’s the classic story of 'The Nutcracker.' Each one you see is a little different. It’s the biggest ballet and done year after year by literally hundreds of dance companies,” Notara said. “Ours is close to the original. The idea is the same every year, but there are different people every year; therefore, sometimes there are changes. I keep the same choreography, but choreograph specifically to the dancers.”
The cast is a larger one with nearly 100 dancers. Many dancers are from Notara’s dance theater company, a few from other dance companies and some from the dance school.
“We have six professional dancers coming in from (New York) City this year,” Notara said. “There are five men and one woman.”
Kelsey Wheeler, 17, of Tannersville is dancing the role of Clara for the second year in a row. She’s been dancing since the age of 4 and loves ballet.
“It’s her Christmas party at her family’s house. Her grandfather gives her a nutcracker, and when she falls asleep, she finds to her amazement there’s a mouse who tries to capture her, but the life-size nutcracker saves her and they go to the Land of Sweets,” Wheeler said. “I think this show kicks off the Christmas season. It’s a great family show and teaches so many lessons. This is a gift to the community.”
Notara said the magic of "The Nutcracker" is why they do this production around Thanksgiving time.
“It’s an introduction to the Christmas season. It’s lovely, magical, exciting story of children, adults and family entertainment,” she said. “It’s some place you can go and feel like you are in the city even if you’re not. It’s such a beautiful story about a young girl who has a wonderful party and goes to sleep and has a crazy dream. We do ours as a fairy tale and at the end we close the book and that’s the end of the story. It’s just in the air. You can feel it.”
For the Pocono Record
Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 2:00 am
"The Nutcracker" ballet is a holiday favorite for many people. Even though you may have seen it before, each performance offers a little bit of a twist and is always a welcomed addition to the start of the holiday season.
Notara Dance Theater in Stroudsburg will be offering their version of the classic ballet for the 31st year. Owner Sally Notara tries to keep it as close as the original version with some slight changes each year.
“It’s the classic story of 'The Nutcracker.' Each one you see is a little different. It’s the biggest ballet and done year after year by literally hundreds of dance companies,” Notara said. “Ours is close to the original. The idea is the same every year, but there are different people every year; therefore, sometimes there are changes. I keep the same choreography, but choreograph specifically to the dancers.”
The cast is a larger one with nearly 100 dancers. Many dancers are from Notara’s dance theater company, a few from other dance companies and some from the dance school.
“We have six professional dancers coming in from (New York) City this year,” Notara said. “There are five men and one woman.”
Kelsey Wheeler, 17, of Tannersville is dancing the role of Clara for the second year in a row. She’s been dancing since the age of 4 and loves ballet.
“It’s her Christmas party at her family’s house. Her grandfather gives her a nutcracker, and when she falls asleep, she finds to her amazement there’s a mouse who tries to capture her, but the life-size nutcracker saves her and they go to the Land of Sweets,” Wheeler said. “I think this show kicks off the Christmas season. It’s a great family show and teaches so many lessons. This is a gift to the community.”
Notara said the magic of "The Nutcracker" is why they do this production around Thanksgiving time.
“It’s an introduction to the Christmas season. It’s lovely, magical, exciting story of children, adults and family entertainment,” she said. “It’s some place you can go and feel like you are in the city even if you’re not. It’s such a beautiful story about a young girl who has a wonderful party and goes to sleep and has a crazy dream. We do ours as a fairy tale and at the end we close the book and that’s the end of the story. It’s just in the air. You can feel it.”