Page 48 - Flathead Beacon // 11.25.15

EVENTS 50 MOVIE REVIEWS 51 SIDE DISH 54 PAWS & CLAWS 56 Arts&Entertainment
BY MOLLY PRIDDY
t’s a Friday afternoon at the Dance Arts Center in Kalispell, and a gar- den of owers is warming up for the- big 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 White sh 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 danc- ers of the Northwest Ballet Company, and as such, she’s one of the mentoring lead- ers of the company as well as the North- west Ballet School.
Many such leaders have come and gone from the ranks of the company and school, as evidenced by the conversation among the owers – 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,
Malachi Bennetts lifts Hope Maxwell during a rehearsal of “The Nutcracker.” GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
performing in the Nutcracker; she started as a Party Girl, then a Snow ake, 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 Dan- ielle Esako 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 Max- well’s last year with the dance company, a bittersweet moment for a dancer who has spent ve days a week, multiple hours each day with her fellow students.
After graduation, she plans on attend- ing Flathead Valley Community College, while still making it back to a dance class from time to time, either as a student or an instructor.
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 stu- dents, 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,” Max- well said, chatting with a visitor while the ower ensemble warmed up.
This year marks her fth time
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NOVEMBER 25, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NUTCRACKER USHERS
IN CHRISTMAS SEASON
Northwest Ballet presents 22nd annual ballet tradition over Thanksgiving Weekend
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