Clara's Dream celebrates third anniversary

Ethnic pride fuels the roots of Clara’s Dream, Shumka’s celebratory concept folk dance.

Since their early beginnings, the troupe’s mission was to share their national roots and culture with the wider community.

Few can epitomize Ukraine’s national pride more than Piotr Tchaikovsky, composer of the famous masterpiece Nutcracker Suite.

Tchaikovsky was Russian, however his great-grandfather was a Ukrainian Cossack and Ukraine has always prided itself on that lineage.

It’s only natural that Shumka would create the first truly Ukrainian-Canadian folk dance representing The Nutcracker as Clara’s Dream. It celebrates its third anniversary at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on Dec. 29 and 30.

Once again Shumka teams up with Kyiv Ballet, the National Ballet of Ukraine, and Virsky, a legendary national folk-dance troupe. Also joining the collaboration is Edmonton’s Citie Ballet and Viter Ukrainian Folk Choir.

This massive partnership incorporates Ukrainian Christmas traditions, ballet, folk dance, a grand choir, orchestral music and Ukrainian symbols woven into the lavish sets and costumes.

Audiences can expect the same propulsive acrobatic, gravity-defying jumps, kicking spins, mid-air splits and backward flips.

But like anything, artistic consultant and choreographer John Pichlyk reminds us, art constantly evolves.

“We’ve upped the involvement for Citie Ballet. This year we’ve included the Waltz of the Flowers, which we didn’t have last year. I have personally made a conscious effort to include more athleticism in the Mouse Battle. Because we have the artist potential, we have found a way to up the dynamics and emotion of the storylines. It has a folk element, but it is more refined and we’re trying to do it justice,” said the Sturgeon County resident.

Tetyana Lozova as Clara and Yaroslav Tkachuk as the Nutcracker Prince both return from the Kyiv Ballet after a gruelling European tour.

Joining the cast for the first time is Jan Vána, from the National Ballet of Ukraine, as the mysterious Uncle Drosselmeier who gifts his goddaughter Clara with a Nutcracker doll.

After guests leave the party and the clock strikes midnight’s magic hour, Clara awakens to a cannon blast that signals a battle between a mouse army and toy soldiers.

As the fight rages, the Mouse King corners the Nutcracker in a duel. Clara rushes to the Nutcracker’s defence and pulls off the Mouse King’s tail. A spell is broken and the Nutcracker morphs into a handsome Prince.

The romantic duo travels to a magical kingdom where they encounter a Spanish dancer, Arabian girls, a Chinese trio and whirlwind Ukrainian Hopak dancers.

“It’s not often you go to a performance and see everything encompassed in it – a storyline, music, song, classical ballet and folk dance. Clara’s Dream is not overly classic, but by refining it, it brings a whole new sensitivity. I feel it is Edmonton’s own Nutcracker. It represents what Edmonton is in this diverse community of artists.”