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[A holiday tradition continues with Ballet Jorgen‘s production of ‘The Nutcracker‘ Butler, who has also danced as Juliet in Sergei Prokofiev‘s Romeo and Juliet to critical acclaim, never tires of this role because each time she performs, new energy comes from the cast, as local dancers join each different show locale. Centuries ago, The Nutâ€" cracker, under the direction Principal dancer Tara Butier is The Sugar Plum Fairy. This role is perfect for this tall, classic beauty, and she has danced it many times. This company does not often do the classics, with the exception of The Nutcracker â€" a perennial audience favourite. Since its inception in 1987, Ballet Jorgen founder/ artistic director Bengt Jorgen (who came from The National Ballet) has been a creative force for emerging choreographers and dancers who want to stretch just a litâ€" tle bit farther. Canada‘s leading producâ€" er of ballet in this country, Balley Jorgen encourages innovation, especially in the classical dance genre. And there is no more enchanting way to do this than to escape with Clara and her Sugar Plum Fairy into the Kingdom of Sweets through the glorious and timeless melody of Tchaikovsky‘s â€" Nutcracker Suite. Toronto‘s Ballet Jorgen and the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Symphony continue the Christmas tradition of The Nutcracker at The Centre in the Square Dec 28â€"29. is year more than ever I before, people need to find the magic of the Christmas season. By Corar Anbprewsâ€"Lesue For The Chronicle 741â€"0770 "This is very different from bigger dance compaâ€" nies because we only have 12 members. It is much more demanding because we are constantly running around backstage switching roles, and doing prop work. There "is lot of dancing for everyâ€" one. A lot of the stuff behind the scenes is more stressful thar what we do onstage. Sometimes it is a relief to get out there." "So much of it is acting, and you can put your perâ€" sonal take on everything. In some ways, there is more artistic freedom and it is "Bengt (Jorgen) really tried to stay true to the origiâ€" nal production and to keep with the roots of pure classiâ€" cal ballet, which is important for any dancer to perform. Sure, it is more challenging. Dancing Juliet, you have to have the classical techâ€" nique," Butler says. This Nutcracker is tradiâ€" tional. There are no extra characters and no fancy plot twists. "The first Nutcracker I ever did was with The National Ballet when they had 75 dancers. So it was huge and we had enough casts to go around for weeks," Butler recalls. "I think we had five casts of everything. It wasn‘t as stressful. Butler, who originates from The National Ballet, remembers the days of theâ€" larger companies and how crazy they were. of Marius Petipa, was perâ€" formed with huge compaâ€" nies sometimes numbering 240 people on stage at a given time. Ballet _ Jorgen‘s _ cast involves only 12 company members, and that means a lot of hustle and bustle behind the scenes. ARTS FOCUS "I have been doing the Sugar Plum Fairy for seven years. But 1 am still finding new things to work on every year. 1 never get bored because 1 am â€" always demanding more of myself. 1 have tried to make the solo more difficult, and Bengt has also changed the choreograâ€" phy as I get stronger to chalâ€" lenge me more. I would say my solo is definitely the hardest thing to do." Butler notes the differâ€" ence between her solo and To some, the Sugar Plum Fairy may seem like Glinda the Good Witch of the North who guides Dorothy through her mystical souâ€" journ in Oz. definitely a little more forgivâ€" ing with the technical demands. The Sugar Plum Fairy is very structured." Tara Butler and Paul Anthony Chambers perform in The Nutcracker this weekend at The Centre in the Square. CHRON "I don‘t think 1 would change anything in The Nutcracker," Butler says. "I was lucky enough to dance Clara when I was a child, so there is a magic in it for me that I try to capture as The The _ Nutcracker â€" has changed over the years. Sometimes it looks like a Hallmark card â€" glistening ice blue and sparkling like Les Grandes Ballets de Canadien years ago. Or it can look a little more abstract like a Unicef card _ â€"The National‘s version from the 1980s. Choreographers like to add characters as well, to keep this classic fresh. the Prince‘s solo. She has a long piece and it is very demanding. The Prince has a shorter segment, but it is faster and demanding in an entirely different way. The young dancers who will be frolicking about the set are both from this area. Michael _ Hicks _ from Guelph dances the role of "I don‘t want to give too much away, but the drawing room has been redesigned and the lights in the show are gorgeous," Butler says. "It‘s very magical, and the snow scene is stunning. 1 think that is one of my favourite sets. It‘s simple but it is beauâ€" Ballet Jorgen has recently revamped The Nutcracker set, so Clara and her compaâ€" ny will have a grand new parâ€" lour in which to frolic on Christmas Eve. "Touring is fun but it can be very exhausting, because we do a lot of oneâ€"night stands," Butler says. "You get into the theatre, adapt to the space, finally get comfortâ€" able, and then you have to pack it all up again. Ballet Jorgen has been touring since Nov 28, and Butler feels like it‘s been on the road forever. In each city, the company showcases the talents of younger dancers, who infuse new energy into the ballet corp. They have been in Sault Ste Marie, Rochester, Kingston, and Napean. After Christmas, Kitchener‘s Centre in the Square is the next stop. Butler also feels the show is a great introduction to dance for younger people. Sugar Plum Fairy, becanse it meant so much to me as a child. It is so ethereal. The Nutcracker is Christmas traâ€" dition and there is someâ€" thing very special about it. It comes around every year and all the dancers complain that we have to do Nutcracker again. But really, we all love it. It wouldn‘t be Christmas _ without The Nutcracker." "I like playing Fritz because it is more acting than dancing, and 1 enjoy that. I find it hard in this show because 1 go from being Fritz the brat to the Prince, a total hero. So it‘s sometimes tricky to get in that mood to jump from one to the other, The Prince is a challenge betause the battle scene is a question of memoâ€" rizing all the choreography. "I love playing this role because I get to come out of my shell and be who I am really not, because I am not the kind of person who goes around breaking things, or who talks back. I also play The Nutcracker prince, so I feel kind of strange breaking my own arm. "The company only did their touring version last year â€" there was a Hungarian company in Kitchener that did Nutcracker. For Ballet Jorgen, I stood by and learned most of the choreogâ€" raphy. This year they phoned my mother and asked her if I wanted to do The Nutcracker. They told her that I did not need to audiâ€" tion, but they wanted to see me heightwise so they could partner me with Clara." Fritz is the brat everyone loves to hate, especially when he is teasing Clara and breaks The Nutcracker. Fritz. He is from the Royal City School of Ballet, and is thrilled to be dancing this pivotal role. Continued on page 14