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Nutcracker Ushers in Christmas Season

Northwest Ballet presents 22nd annual ballet tradition over Thanksgiving Weekend

By Molly Priddy
Malachi Bennetts lifts Hope Maxwell during a rehearsal of “The Nutcracker” on Nov. 20, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

It’s a Friday afternoon at the Dance Arts Center in Kalispell, and a garden of flowers is warming up for thebig scene with its leader, a dancer known simply as Dewdrop, dressed in a frosty-blue tutu.

In her regular life, Hope Maxwell is a senior at Whitefish High School, a 17-year-old ready to take the next step in a nursing program after graduation. But in the dance studio, Maxwell gets to drop the acaemic routine for a while and focus solely on ballet, which, on this evening, means practicing a punishing, seven-minute pas de deux performance (dancing with a partner) to get ready for the biggest show of the year.

Maxwell is one of the principal dancers of the Northwest Ballet Company, and as such, she’s one of the mentoring leaders of the company as well as the Northwest Ballet School.

Many such leaders have come and gone from the ranks of the company and school, as evidenced by the conversation among the flowers – a troupe of dancers in eighth and ninth grades – about who had worn their costumes in the past.

These are all parts of the tradition that makes up “The Nutcracker,” the annual holiday ballet presented for its 22nd annual debut at the Bigfork Performing Arts Center over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 27-29.

It takes time to form a true tradition, and at Northwest Ballet, it’s easy to see the hallmarks: older students pass along their experiences to the younger students, with names of former principal dancers evoked like quick, sweet prayers.

Maxwell started dancing as a toddler, and began classes at Northwest Ballet with director Marisa Roth at age 5 or 6. As she grew, so did her interests; one year, Maxwell hung up her ballet slippers and played volleyball.

But it only heightened her appreciation for dance, she said, in an absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder kind of way.

“I decided I liked dance more,” Maxwell said, chatting with a visitor while the flower ensemble warmed up.

This year marks her fifth time performing in the Nutcracker; she started as a Party Girl, then a Snowflake, then a Flower and Mrs. Stahlbaum, and last year’s Snow Queen performance.

Her role this year as the Dewdrop presents the challenge of dancing with a partner for quite a long time in dance terms. And for someone who wants to be perfect each time she takes the stage, the role is a tall order.

“It’s been challenging,” Maxwell said, “but it’s been rewarding as well.”

Roth said her principal dancers are going to wow the audiences, with Danielle Esakoff dancing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Olivia Ogle taking over as Snow Queen.

Maxwell’s role is especially tough, Roth said, because sharing a dance with someone on stage in front of hundreds of people is a vulnerable, nerve-wracking position.

“This is a really good role for her,” Roth said. “In the last couple weeks, she’s grown so much.”

As a senior in high school, this is Maxwell’s last year with the dance company, a bittersweet moment for a dancer who has spent five days a week, multiple hours each day with her fellow students.

After graduation, she plans on attending Flathead Valley Community College, while still making it back to a dance class from time to time, either as a student or an instructor.

One of her favorite aspects about being a principal in the dance company is the expectation of leadership among the students, which Maxwell also said makes leaving the program all the more difficult.

“I like to feel like the girls can come to me for anything,” she said.

Then it’s her turn to dance at rehearsal, a Dewdrop gliding among the Flowers. Her job during this dance, Hope said, is to give the audience a sense of awe, and during her run through, there’s an easy grace and confidence in her style.

And once the anxiety of perfection dissipates, once the curtains are going up and there’s not time left for nerves?

“I feel regal,” she said.

Reserved-seating tickets for the Nutcracker are available at the Kalispell Grand on Main Street, 406-755-8100. Tickets will be available at the box office on show days one hour before the performances start. Shows are Friday, Nov. 27, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 28, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 29, 4 p.m. at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.  The Sugar Plum Fairy Parade will follow the 2 p.m. matinees on Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit www.northwestballet.com.