LA Times 2009

Take a moment to read a few excerpts from the Los Angeles Times article about “The Snow Queen” that ran on Friday, December 18, 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

A festive 'Snow Queen'
California Contemporary Ballet's show stands out in the 'Nutcracker'-saturated holidays.

Samantha Hoe, the statuesque blond who plays the icy title role in “The Snow Queen,” perches unsteadily on the left shoulder of Czech ballet protégé Filip Stanek. They're rehearsing for California Contemporary Ballet's upcoming performances of the Hans Christian Andersen fable at Glendale Community College. Stanek wobbles slightly from bearing another human being on his frame. His flight from Prague landed at LAX only six hours ago, and he's barely even had a nap.

"My brain is sleeping, but my body's awake," he says in English accented by the lightest trill. Erin Holt, the troupe's director, discovered the 20-year-old classical dancer -- he's also a prodigious tap dancer -- when she guest-taught for Prague International Ballet's Ostrava

workshop in 2007. It's Stanek's third foray to California and a nice homecoming. "I like Los Angeles. It's a happy, sunny, smiley place. I like the palm trees, sun and the people," he says.

"You need to be around her knees, dude," says Ryan Morrison of Pasadena, one of a set of twins gracing this troupe. Morrison previously played Stanek's part, having performed in every "Snow Queen" since its inception in 1998. Only a young twig when he made his debut, the raven-haired, goateed youth plays a prince in this year's show, partnering with the well-trained Heather Toner. Asked what draws him to classical ballet, Morrison admits: "I'm surrounded by beautiful girls all the time."

Holt suddenly moves in from the sidelines, reaching across the couple to reposition the Snow Queen's legs. Instead, she pokes the jet-lagged Stanek right in the eye. Unintended body jabs are a dancer's occupational hazard, but Holt, overwrought, loses it. "I just flew you in from Prague," she moans, "and now I'm hurting you!" Good-natured laughs erupt, and the tension in the room breaks.

Such are the tribulations of community ballet -- a mash-up of desire; ambition; myriad levels of training on dancers of every possible age, body shape and size; and a degree of grit and determination. Troupes similar to Holt's tucked all around the Southland are now in perspiring preparation for the year-end performances that are part school showcase, part annual fundraiser. Typically, they are staging that reliable classical chestnut "The Nutcracker." This year, Anaheim Ballet, Coast City Ballet, Inland Pacific Ballet, Laguna Ballet, Long Beach Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Moorpark Civic Ballet, San Pedro City Ballet, Ventura County Ballet and Westside Ballet are all parading toy soldiers, mice and snowflakes for the audiences full of proud moms and dads.

But high above Los Angeles, in the well-to-do foothill town of La Cañada Flintridge, Holt does December differently. Her project offers a "Nutcracker" alternative: her own creation inspired by Andersen's set of seven tales about Gerda, a little girl who saves her best buddy, Kai, from an evil spell. The kids' interplay with the Snow Queen (enchanted, and not in a good way) and a (nasty, spell-bearing) mirror gives the dance-drama its good-versus-evil moral dimension, making "The Snow Queen" fine family fodder.
"The Snow Queen" is a good strategy for a small company in L.A., according to Emiko Ono, director of grants and professional development for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. "It's really smart that she does something different and that they brand themselves with this show and attract an audience. It allows them to replicate the qualities that make 'The Nutcracker' successful -- showcasing the company's range in age and skill. And tap the holiday wallet. And make money!"

The show has proved a successful vehicle for California Contemporary Ballet. Its flexible cast enables Holt to utilize whatever semiprofessional talent she has on hand for principal roles. There are gobs of character parts for the pupils of her ballet academy. She has an original score from composer Randall Michael Tobin, a unique plus. But mostly, the production differentiates her company in Southern California's highly dispersed yet saturated dance market.

Holt is about to toss her best nuggets into the stew. A handsome, focused woman bundled against the December chill in black sweaters and leg warmers, she notes: "We've been passed over in favor of visiting 'Nutcrackers' from ABT [American Ballet Theatre] and the Joffrey. There is so much going on at the community level and so many good dancers. There is a real love of dance in L.A." – Debra Levine

Photo (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Heather Toner rehearses with the California DanceArts & California Contemporary Ballet in La Canada.