{"id":109947,"date":"2024-12-03T11:25:14","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T16:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=109947"},"modified":"2024-12-03T13:00:01","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:00:01","slug":"preview-artistic-director-tatiana-stepanova-talks-toronto-international-dance-theatres-nutcracker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/12\/03\/preview-artistic-director-tatiana-stepanova-talks-toronto-international-dance-theatres-nutcracker\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Artistic Director Tatiana Stepanova Talks About Toronto International Dance Theatre\u2019s The Nutcracker"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The Nutcracker by Toronto International Ballet Theatre, 2023 (Photo: Vladimir Kevorkov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

International ballet dancers and local artists come together in the Toronto International Dance Theatre\u2019s production of The Nutcracker. The holiday classic takes the stage at Bluma Appel Theatre on December 21 and 22.<\/p>\n

Toronto International Ballet Theatre was founded by Ukrainian dancer\/choreographer Tatiana Stepanova, and she still serves as the company\u2019s artistic director. After years of teaching ballet classes in Canada, Tatiana became frustrated with the lack of opportunity for her students and other aspiring dancers.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what led her to create the company, which held its first performance in 2008. She created a unique niche in Toronto\u2019s dance landscape by using a combination of international professional talent and local artists by audition, blending in students for some performances, including The Nutcracker, their first production and company signature piece.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Nutcracker by Toronto International Ballet Theatre, 2023 (Photo: Vladimir Kevorkov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tatiana Stepanova: The Nutcracker<\/h2>\n

While of course it shares characters and more with other versions of the Nutcracker story, TIBT\u2019s version focuses on the feelings. Klara loves her Nutcracker, a gift from her uncle, but one that carries a special holiday spell. As she falls asleep with the Nutcracker in her arms, she grows into a young woman, and the doll becomes her brave prince. They journey through magical worlds, including the Land of Sweets, where the treats represent different parts of the world,. The two fall in love, and Klara wakes up to a romantic dream, the kind of pure and innocent love only children can feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a story for everybody.\u201d Tatiana says that she\u2019s witnessed children as young as four or five years of age, rapt in attention at what unfolds on stage. \u201cEverybody can come, and everyone can enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effects, the stage magic, and the whole production is designed to be family-friendly in scope. During a season where there are many choices when it comes to holiday concerts and performance, TIBT offers a classic that stretches across generations. It\u2019s part of her goal and mandate for the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, for our generation, we have to somehow teach people the beauty of classical ballet,\u201d she says. She points out that conceptual modern dance is not really family-friendly, or accessible for younger audiences, in contrast with the generally lucid storytelling of classical ballet. \u201cKids enjoy ballet.\u201d<\/p>\n

She recalls her own sense of wonder going to ballet when she was a child. \u201cIt’s magic,\u201d she says. It\u2019s a feeling she wanted to inspire in other young audience members. \u201cRight now, I can’t see that many productions you can bring a child to. This is what I wanted to bring.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also young dancers in the production as the nutcracker dolls. \u201cEverybody loves it. Everybody wants to buy the nutcracker.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production aims for a sumptuous, opulent look. The costumes, in part, come from an Elton John production. As Stepanova tells the story, the costumes were originally ordered for a Louis XIV themed pageant. It\u2019s part of the wow factor she\u2019s going for.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Nutcracker by Toronto International Ballet Theatre, 2023 (Photo: Vladimir Kevorkov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Dancers<\/h3>\n

Kids from all over Ontario audition for those children\u2019s parts as the nutcracker dolls. The principal dancers are also chosen from auditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI choose professional dancers who come to an audition.\u201d She reports getting audition tapes from as far away as Japan.<\/p>\n

The sheer number of applicants every year underscores the fact that the issues that drove her to create the company persist: lack of opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho will teach them to dance in the corps de ballet?\u201d she wonders of the many young ballet students attempting to launch professional careers each season. \u201cPrincipal dancers, you can invite from wherever,\u201d she says, \u201cbut the corps de ballet, that’s the show quality of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bringing in professional dancers from other regions is also part of her strategy. It exposes the young and local dancers in the production to different styles of ballet. \u201cIt’s very important.\u201d<\/p>\n

She remembers her own years in the Bolshoi Ballet School. \u201cI was dancing in the Bolshoi Ballet in the theatre company as a child, and saw, from the stage, how the principal dancers dance. They have to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s worked with the Bolshoi before when it comes to connecting with dancers abroad, something that\u2019s now been made impossible by the war unfolding on the other side of the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s not easy to combine everybody, but I try my best,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Guest Dancers<\/h3>\n

Two special guest dancers will perform the principal roles.<\/p>\n

American ballerina Joy Womack<\/strong> was the first woman from the US to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet\u2019s prestigious school with its highest designation, a red diploma, and became the second American woman to sign a contract as a soloist with the company. She\u2019s also danced principal roles at the Kremlin Ballet and Boston Ballet. She has also worked in film, including the bio documentary Joy Womack: The White Swan, and as a consultant and dance double in Joika in 2023.<\/p>\n

Principal dancer Alexis Tiutiunnyk<\/strong> is a Chevalier of the Order of Arts of Ukraine. He graduated from the National Ballet School in his native Kyiv. There, he became a first soloist with the Shevchenko National Opera of Ukraine, followed by four years at the renowned Mariinsky Ballet. He\u2019s been a principal dancer with the National Opera of Ukraine since 2019, and occasionally works as a model.<\/p>\n