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| His eclectic musical taste and
exceptional choreography has awarded the company with national recognition and
local applause. “I didn’t get into dance so people could tell me
what I couldn’t do,” Javier said. Voted "Best Theatrical Dance
Company" in the San Diego Union-Tribune Reader's Poll for the last two years,
San Diego Ballet's exceptional performances make it one-of-a-kind. "It's such a
treat to get to dance the contemporary ballets," said Rachel Sebastian, a
nine-year member of the company. "We don't do a lot of classical ballets. We
get to dance to Jim Croce, Patsy Kline, Tito Puente…it's really cool."
But as the holiday months approach, Javier and his dancers put the new routines
on hold and look forward to getting ready for an old favorite their annual
performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. |
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For many of the dancers, The Nutcracker is a sentimental ballet.
"It was my first performance," remembered Melissa Ryan. "I was five and I was
so excited. I was a Candy Cane." For other dancers, like Christine Owens, it
was watching The Nutcracker that inspired a love for the ballet. "I was ten
when I started taking ballet lessons," said Christine. "I got hooked kind of
late. I remember my mom taking me to see The Nutcracker and I loved it."
Audiences around the United States will get to enjoy Velasco's interpretation
of the famous ballet. "We're taking the Nutcracker to Colorado and Arizona this
year," Javier said. The San Diego Ballet has also performed the holiday
show in Montana and Wyoming. |
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| It was around the time of the Civil War
in America, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky was adapting German writer E.T.A. Hoffman's
story into what would become the most often performed ballet in history. The
wondrousness of Hoffman's supernatural characters blended with Tchaikovsky's
flair for grandeur was lost on early audiences; the first performance met with
harsh critiques. "For dancers there is rather little in it, for art absolutely
nothing, and for the artistic fate of our ballet, one more step downward," read
one review. Reviews of the San Diego Ballet's performances are quite another
story. Heralded as "spectacular" and "beyond compare" in 2002, "delightful" and
"elegant" in 2003, and as "radiant," "witty," and "sparkling" in 2004, there is
no doubt that Javier's magic touch will be evident in this year's performances
as well. Robin Morgan, who started the San Diego School of Ballet in 1989,
co-founded the San Diego Ballet with Javier in 1991. |
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| The two work well, and have
created an environment where each dancer's skills are showcased and where all
roles are important. "Everyone's a principal dancer in our company," Robin
said. All of the dancers praised Javier and Robin and said that working for the
San Diego Ballet is wonderful - a positive attitude that certainly comes across
in their performances. Melissa Ryan started by enrolling in classes at the San
Diego School of Ballet as a child. "They knew me and what I could do," she
said. "So when a position in the Ballet opened up, they asked if I wanted it."
This year's Nutcracker will have a cast of over 100 dancers, some the company's
principal dancers and some the School of Ballet's current students. Who
knows…the dancers you see in this month's performance could be next year's
celebrities. Students from the School of Ballet have gone on to dance with the
top companies in America. To find out about children and adult dance programs
available call the San Diego School of Ballet at 619-294-7374. (Robin's dogs
were unable to join in the photo shoot, but Robin's a dog lover just like the
rest - she has three dogs at home!) |
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