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| Michael Penn / Juneau Empire |
 On thier toes: Zoey Wilson, left, Ramie Carlson, center, and Larissa Skannes rehearse the Snow dance for Juneau Dance Unlimited's production of the "Nutcracker." |
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At the stroke of midnight a young girl awakens to find a host of toy soldiers fighting an army of mice led by a Mouse King. She is later carried away in a sleigh through a snowy forest as snowflakes swirl and dance around her.
She arrives in a Land of Sweets, where she is greeted by a Sugar Plum Fairy who treats her to a celebration of dances by Spanish, Arabian, Russian and Chinese dancers.
In this magical land, flowers waltz and reed flutes prance. When she awakens, she is resting sweetly next to her beloved Nutcracker.
The story will come to life in a ballet performance of the "Nutcracker" by the students of Juneau Dance Unlimited and guest dancer Jennifer Curry from the California Ballet Co. in San Diego. The piece is choreographed by JDU ballet master Philip Krauter.
The music from the ballet by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky has become a holiday classic.
"People who normally don't go to the ballet will go to see the Nutcracker," Krauter said.
Besides being a favorite with audiences, the ballet offers dance students an opportunity to develop their skills.
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Ballet
When: Dec. 9, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. and Dec. 10, 2 p.m.
Where: JDHS Auditorium
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"We consider our school to be serious in the training of dancers. We feel if they're going to be performing artists they need to be on stage performing ... The Nutcracker is a good vehicle for that because it has lots of roles for kids, and the kids can develop themselves as performers," Krauter said.
This is Krauter's third season teaching in Juneau and the second season JDU presents the "Nutcracker."
Krauter and artistic director Janice Hurley hope the school will have a space to rehearse for future "Nutcrackers." The building in which their studio is located has been sold. The school is looking for a new space.
Krauter has performed with the San Francisco Ballet School, Ballet West and the Texas Ballet Theatre (formerly Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet).
He has studied with Robert Joffrey of the Joffrey Ballet and was the first American to teach for the Ankara State Opera Ballet in Turkey
Krauter said he's had his glory days dancing professionally and has now settled to teach and pass on his knowledge.
In this production he dances the Mouse King and performs a cameo as Godfather Drosselmeyer.
Audiences can expect beautiful dances and costumes in the performance.
"I think the Arabian Dance is very beautiful. It has very slow music. I tried to make it mysterious," Krauter said. "The costume has a sparkling, purplish, gold sheen with veils and flowing material. The way the light plays off of it is very beautiful," he said.
"I wanted to make the Chinese Dance look Chinese. They use umbrellas, and they spin them, and manipulate them, and play around with them, and it's really cute.
"The Spanish Dance, of course, has the traditional black fan and the girl has a rose in her hair. I try to keep that looking like a Spanish flamenco. And the snowflakes look like snowflakes swirling around in the wind and blowing across the stage," he said.
"I've always thought that you should do whatever the music tells you to do. If there's a waltz, give waltz. I'm not against experimenting, but "Nutcracker" is a very traditional ballet," Krauter said.
"When you get too far away from what it is, it loses its intrinsic value and what the purpose of it is. It should be kept pure."
