Sisters There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters!
It's a sister's act that has been going on for 41 years and this year it's a little "Nutty." Not too unusual when you consider Miriam and Valerie, Co-owners of Miriam & Valerie's School of Dance Arts and Co-artistic directors of the affiliated Ballet Guild of Sanford-Seminole, are once again presenting their traditional and yet not so traditional "Nutcracker and Much, Much More!".
The sister team, opened their dance studio in Sanford, Florida in the summer of 1965, and since then have been turning out professional dancers and just plain great kids along with some interesting original material. Their state chartered ballet company, the Ballet Guild of Sanford-Seminole celebrates its 38th season this year. Past major ballets with strange names like "Doo Wah Diddy", "Who Shot Diddy", "Lilly Chantilly" (a trilogy taking 3 years to complete) and "Mother Goose Breaks Loose" have been thrilling their audiences in the Central Florida area. A couple of "Nutcrackers" in the early days seemed enough for the sisters who are noted for doing things their own way.
After a 31 year span with no "Nutcracker", Miriam and Valerie came back (no surprise here) with an original twist. First of all, the theatrical narration keeps audiences not only up on the E.T.A. Hoffman traditional story of a holiday evening back in 1892 but incorporates a warm and interesting tale involving the present day family telling their story, as well, from the proscenium.
A magical Drosselmeyer plays his mysterious "Nutcrackerish" role and also uses his mystical power to bring the entire cast into the 21st century for the "Much, Much More " portion of this fascinating production. Now the audience is treated to multi talented dancers of the Ballet Guild who can change their dance styles along with their costumes and sing as well. Imagine a group of 6 foot tall tapping Santas, dancers on crutches, Fosse type reindeer and country-modern. Hard to imagine? Not for the "Nutty" sisters. "Nutcrackerness" never had it so good and Central Florida audiences just eat it up!
"Nutcrackers" are fun and a great learning experience for dancers training for a professional career. In the case of Miriam and Valerie, their Nutcracker prince, Daniel Ryan Hunalp, is comfortable in Ballet shoes (a scholarship student at Sarasota Ballet for 2 years), Jazz shoes (a scholarship student at Ann Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project, and Tap shoes ( dancing with "Tap Dogs" and "Lord of the Dance" cast members in this summer's "Iron Beats" at Busch Gardens). The Grand Pas in Miriam & Valerie's "Nutcracker" choreographed by Thom Lake, steals the collective audience's breath, as the Sugar Plum Fairy performs with 5 cavaliers and almost never touches the ground! Seeing is believing and if you're close to Sanford, Florida, it is something you just might want to plan on.
Premiering this year in Orlando at the Disney Amphitheatre at Lake Eola, "The Nutcracker and Much, Much More" then opens officially at the Winter Springs Performing Arts Center, December 10th and 11th. For more information call 407.323.1900, or go on line at www.schoolofdancearts.com.