When Ballet Jörgen Canada presents its newest edition of The Nutcracker here on Nov. 27 and 28 at 7:30pm, Cassandra Ford, of Fergus will be with the cast.
Ford, 13, was one of a number of young ballet dancers who auditioned for children’s roles in the popular ballet, and it was no surprise to her that she was selected. She is something of veteran, despite her age. This is her fourth year in The Nutcracker, but it is a special one, nonetheless.
Cassandra has been dancing since she was 3, thanks to being inspired by a friend, Leah. She spent nine years at the Grand River Dance Academy in Fergus, and is now with Studio 3 Dance in Orangeville.
This year, though, when the show is completed in Guelph, Cassandra is staying right with it, doing tours across Ontario until the provincial stage of the tour ends on Dec. 30.
And despite being a veteran of Ballet Jörgen Canada’s Nutcracker, Cassandra said, “It was a little tougher this year because there were more girls and with more experience. Seventy-five dancers tried out for the touring cast. Five were picked.”
Besides rehearsal for the show, Cassandra also does what is called “creating” where she and other dancers work with choreography. She laughed and called it being “a guinea pig.”
The shows will take her to Kitchener to the Centre in the Square, Brampton, Markham, and Mississauga. There will be nine performances in all.
Choreographed by Bengt Jörgen to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s score, this re-working of the show is born from a collaboration with Kleinburg’s McMichael Canadian art collection.
The Group of Seven Nutcracker features as a backdrop, Canada’s 20th century landscape artists Franklin Carmichael’s Church and Houses at Bisset (1931), Tom Thomson’s Snow in the Woods (1916) and L.L. FitzGerald’s Trees and Wildflowers (1922).
Set in the early 1900s the quintessentially Canadian Nutcracker brings to life the magical tale of a little girl’s Christmas dream and her grand journey through northern landscapes filled with snowflakes, trilliums, and creatures of the woods.
There are 14 students from dance schools in Guelph, Fergus, Elora, and the surrounding area will join the company’s professional cast for the Guelph performances. They were chosen from a group of 46 who auditioned in September.
Hilary Hutchins, 9, is dancing the role of Frog in Guelph shows. She lives in Elora. Her home studio is Fergus Elora Academy of Dance.
Mariah Abbott, 13, dances the role of Chipmunk in Guelph shows, lives in Fergus, and her school is Studio III.
In the weeks leading up to the performances the children are rehearsing regularly at Royal City School of Ballet and Theatre Jazz Inc in Guelph.
For Cassandra, dance has been a way of life – and she hopes to continue it.
She dances six days a week, getting picked up after school at St. Joseph school after grade 8 classes Monday to Thursday, and heading to Orangeville for dance, vocals, and musical theatre.
She said her most immediate ambition is to land a spot on the Canadian edition of So You Think You Can Dance, and she and a friend already have plans to attend George Brown college, where she hopes to be certified to teach dance and someday run her own studio.
Meanwhile, though, her days are filled with dance. Saturdays and Sundays mean long hours in rehearsal, but her mother, Gail, noted that Ballet Jörgen Canada works the dancers hard, but also ensures that they have fun, too.
The one night a week that Cassandra does not dance, she attends a local Pathfinders group.
“It’s important that she finds a balance,” Gail Ford said.
Cassandra responded, “I always get my homework done.”
Gail Ford said, “We [she and her husband, Rob] have always told her that if we find here work failing, we might have to re-jig her schedule. Her schools work does come first.”
She added that Cassandra’s “teachers have been good to us. When she’s off for rehearsal they send work home.”
Ballet Jörgen Canada is the only Canadian ballet company with a repertoire consisting exclusively of original works. The company tours across Canada and North America performing for an annual audience of over 50,000 people.
It is the second largest dance company in Ontario and the largest outside the downtown core of Toronto. Visit www.balletjorgen.ca.
For the Nov 27 and 28 performances at River Run Centre, adult tickets are $36 and $40, seniors pay $34 and $38, and student tickets are $23 and $27.
Tickets are on sale at 519-763-3000 or 1-877-520-2408 or online at www.riverrun.ca.
The company invited the community to Share The Magic and support the work of Family & Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County.
By purchasing a ticket at the discounted price of $20, doners can give a seat to a child or family who might otherwise not be able to enjoy The Nutcracker magic. Ask the box office about giving to Share The Magic.
