The holidays are a time of traditions; a season of beloved rituals we anxiously await the return of every year.
Some customs are sacrosanct, untouchable cultural cornerstones. And still others are especially loved because they can always be reimagined, bringing something fresh and individual to every single Christmas.
After all, Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf imparts the same breed of Christmas cheer as Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey did, he just serves it up a little differently.
So, too, this year’s production of “The Nutcracker” — a sacred holiday tradition if ever there was one — by Olympic Performance Group is one such newly evolved essential. This year’s show marks the organization’s 10th annual revival of the ballet, and once again reboots the revered holiday tale in a fresh new way, including the use of jazz, hip hop, tap and even gymnastics stylings as well as the appearance of new characters to the story. It may give some purists pause, but director Sara Cramer, OPG’s founder and the owner/lead instructor of Bainbridge Ballet, said that the group’s annual innovations have become a kind of tradition itself.
“Occasionally I’ll have somebody say, ‘Oh, I only want to see the traditional version,’” she said. “But, I think if they gave it a chance, most people would enjoy the versions we come up with. And certainly on a bigger scale, when I go out and mingle with the audience, the reactions are always very good.”
Putting on a new version of the classic has become something of a trademark for the group, she added.
“That is one of our major ways that we stand out from other local productions, is that we do a different take on ‘The Nutcracker’ every year,” Cramer said. “To come up with new scenery, new costuming [and] new ideas, it’s a big part of what makes it so difficult, but also fun because you get to invent new things.”
This year’s inclusion of such endearing characters as the Big Bad Wolf and Three Little Pigs, among many others, required a new take on the original plot. The fresh storytelling update came courtesy of Alex Ung, the show’s artistic director since 2008.
“This year’s theme is kind of a twist off of old school fairy tales,” Ung said, including the works of the Brothers Grimm, Aesop, Hans Christian Anderson and Lewis Carroll. In this new version, he explained, the character Drosselmeyer is a storybook maker who brings his family a giant popup book as a Christmas present — a magical gift which he promptly brings to life.
“We all jumped on board,” Cramer said, remembering Ung’s initial idea proposal. “We thought that was a terrific way to appeal to a wider audience and get kids excited about it, because there’d be some recognition, even if they’ve never seen ‘The Nutcracker,’ they would recognize some of the fairy tales that were in it.”
Dance is a perfect medium for fairy tales, Cramer added, since they are both a kind of international cultural common tongue.
“There’s a universal recognition of a lot of the fairy tales,” she said. “Even if people don’t speak the same language.”
This year’s show boasts an approximately 70 member strong cast, Cramer said, a significant increase in the number of participants from last year. Ballet, she added, is an easily misunderstood art form that has been getting more coverage in the national media.
“As with, I think, all dance, it is growing,” she said. “It’s an art form that requires a humongous amount of strength, but it doesn’t look like it.”
The production is staffed by volunteers: friends, parents and teachers.
“It will stay alive for as long as people are willing to come and participate and help it along,” Cramer said. “It’s hard to keep some of the arts things going, and it requires a huge amount of time and energy.”
Yet, Cramer said, it is the love of tradition and the sheer fun of the show that keeps the dancers — and the audience — coming back every year, with the added benefit for the young performers of real life experiences.
“For me, it was an important part of my life, because I grew up doing ‘The Nutcracker’ from year to year and I know that it helps kids understand how to get organized, how to have some leadership, how to strive for a higher standard,” she said. “It requires a huge amount of cooperation [and] those are things we want to develop in our young people.”
The storybook-inspired remake of “The Nutcracker” will be performed at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 and Sunday, Dec. 20, as well as 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21 at the North Kitsap Auditorium (1881 NE Hostmark St., Poulsbo).
Tickets — $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $15 for children and students — are available now via www.brownpapertickets.com. Visit www.olympicperformancegroup.weebly.com for more information.
Holiday classic
What: Olympic Performance Group’s 10th anniversary production of “The Nutcracker.”
When: 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 and Sunday, Dec. 20, as well as 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21.
Where: North Kitsap Auditorium (1881 NE Hostmark St., Poulsbo).
Admission: Tickets — $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $15 for children and students — are available via www.brownpapertickets.com. Visit www.olympicperformancegroup.weebly.com for more info.
