Kozlova's Nutcracker at Symphony Space
Founder of Boston's International Ballet Competition Dazzles
By: Susan Hall - Dec 05, 2011
The Nutcracker
Valentina Kozlova's Dance Conservatory Performance Project
Music by P.I. Tchaikovsky
Choreography Kozlova and Margo Sappington based on
Vasily Vainonn and Marina Pepita
Symphony Space
December 3, 2011
The Nutcracker is the first and forever outreach in this country to engage new audiences in the endeavors of classical art. Exciting to the eye and charming to the ear this holiday ballet is performed throughout the country in end of the year celebrations.
Symphony Space on the upper West Side of Manhattan puts on neighborhood outreach of the highest order throughout the year. It is easy to drop in and ticket prices are affordable.
Valentine Kozlova is a famous ballet diva. A principal ballerina with the Bolshoi, she defected to the US, appearing first in Broadway in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue and then became a Principal Dancer at the New York City Ballet. Her delightful version of Nutcracker can be traced through her right back to its roots. Kozlova through Balanchine to the Marinsky where he danced as a student, continues to Russian tradition of dance. The Kozlova technique is the traditional Vaganova method to which Balanchine footwork is added. After Glasnost, Kozlova made a triumphant return to Russia.
Not only is Tchaikovsky’s classic a visual delight to behold, but children are also featured. Drawn from the communities in which the performances happen, these children range from ballet beginners to promising professionals. This performance was no exception. One very small dancer spent most of her time looking around in wonder over her good luck. Others went right up on toe.
Margo Sappington, the noted American choreographer, played the Baroness Drosselmeyer, a role often played by a man. Sappington was arresting in the role, looking quite like Brian Bedford in The Importance of Being Earnest, taking over a Christmas party with aplomb.
New York audiences particularly enjoy the entrance of the mice in the second part of Act I, familiar as they are with critters they battle day in and night out. Baroness Drosselmeyer angrily did battle with these pests. The mice were defeated and flowers waltzed. It is easy to see why everyone loves the Nutcracker.
Successive nationalities are presented in the politically correct Act II. Eye candy courtesy the cornucopia of nations dancing: Spanish, Arabian, Russian, Chinese, even Marzipan.
Symphony Space and Kozlova do more than their fair share in this Nutcracker, a delightful production full of sugarplums and angels. The principal dancers, Veronika Verterick, Alex Hammoudi, Maggie Yin Horowitz, Ari Mayzick, Erik Baker, Jack Furlong and Nikita Boris spun their tales with drama and physical beauty.
Kozlova founded the Boston International Ballet Competition this year. In May, a jury which included Violette Verdy and Mikko Nissinen, showcased young talent, encouraging them to continue careers as dancers. The next competition will be held be held in Boston from May 3-June 4, 2012.