Celebrating its 65th anniversary, The Chelmsford Ballet Company is proud to present its version of The Nutcracker from 19-22 March at the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford. Some of Tchaikovsky’s most famous melodies set the scene; the story of a little girl’s magical Christmas present. Battle the Mouse King and travel with Clara to the Magical Kingdom of Sweets. Delight in the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, be captivated by the Waltz of the Flowers, the flurry of Snowflakes and the candy striped Merlitons, a spectacle for any time of year.
The Company was founded in 1947 by Joan Weston as the Broomfield YMCA Ballet Company in order to give the more senior students at her existing dance school the opportunity to learn and perform to the public. It was after its 1949 performance of Coppelia that the then-mayor of Chelmsford suggested the name ‘The Chelmsford Ballet Company’. Today the Company is led by Artistic Director Annette Potter, a former dancing member. Annette danced many leading roles with the company before moving on to teaching and choreography. She continues to present the high standards of dance and performance for which the Company is recognised.
Since that first performance in 1949, the Company has staged a full-scale production every year as an event in its own right. In 1984 The Chelmsford Ballet Company presented its version of the Royal Ballet film The Tales of Beatrix Potter. This was the first time the ballet had been performed on stage; it was not until 1992 that the Royal Ballet staged its own production at Covent Garden.
The Company has announced that Richard Bermange will return to dance this year as the dashing Cavalier. His Sugar Plum Fairy will be Emma Lister and to complete the exciting Guest line-up, Michael Budd will dance the Mouse King.
Richard trained at Central School of Ballet, London. As a student he danced with Northern Ballet and Ballet Central, and since graduation he has worked with English National Ballet, K-Ballet, Tokyo, Tivoli Ballet, Peter Schaufuss Ballet and The National Ballet of Ireland. Most recently he has worked with Ballet Ireland as an Associate Choreographer.
Emma Lister trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Upon graduation she danced with The Royal Winnipeg Ballet and since moving to London, Emma has worked with English National Ballet and with the English Youth Ballet, having danced the lead roles in Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Giselle and Swan Lake.
Michael trained at The Royal Ballet School for 7 years. After graduating from the Upper School he toured with London Studio Centre in Images of Dance. He has since danced with many companies including European Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, English National Ballet, Vienna Festival Ballet, Balletomania, Anya Ison Wallace Dance company, The Johann Strauss Gala and Debbie McGee and Paul Daniels’ ballet company, Ballet Imaginaire.
Tickets are on sale from the Civic Theatre Box Office 01245 606505 or online from Chelmsford City Theatres
During the festive season, the dance world is abundant with Holiday inspired productions, and 2012 is no different. The Nutcracker is always a sure-fire family favourite, full of ballet slippers, magic and mystery, however one version this year is standing out for a very different reason. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, it has been discovered, has designed all the costumes (more than 100) and four large stage sets for The Nutcracker which is currently being performed in Copenhagen by the Royal Danish Ballet at the Tivoli Theatre until 22 December 2012.