What: The Gift
When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m.
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
Tickets: $16 to $82
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Ballet Victoria鈥檚 annual presentation of The Gift is more than a holiday tradition, says artistic director Paul Destrooper.
The reworking of The Nutcracker, performed with the Victoria Symphony, is a chance to season both fledgling and professional dancers.
鈥淪omething I鈥檝e tried to do each year is really showcase the dancers,鈥� said Destrooper, who created his first version of The Gift for Ballet Victoria five years ago.
鈥淲e have to change it up each year so the dancers are challenged with the technique,鈥� he said.
Even the kids in the show are auditioned. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 just stand there. They dance. It鈥檚 a great opportunity to be in a professional show, with an orchestra.鈥�
Destrooper has performed different versions of The Nutcracker many times in his dance career, including with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Alberta Ballet.
His goal with The Gift, he said, is to 鈥渂ring ballet into this century鈥� and make it relevant to youth, while retaining its traditional elements.
鈥淏allet aficionados will watch and say: 鈥楾his is hard and these guys are good.鈥� 鈥�
The story is much the same: A young girl is given a gift that whisks her away to a magical world of characters and dance.
Destrooper said some versions of the story can be quite dark and culturally inappropriate, with dances that reinforce racial stereotypes, which he has changed for the Ballet Victoria versions.
Also, in this version, the focus is more on a little girl who opens a present early rather than falling in love with a nutcracker.
He said one of the reasons the piece has remained so well-loved and frequently performed is the music. 鈥淭chaikovsky is brilliant. Like Swan Lake, it is timeless. A beautiful and relevant piece of music,鈥� said Destrooper, adding it is a rare treat for a ballet to perform with a live orchestra these days.
Some contemporary dance and references are mixed into the piece, including a hockey game, which traditionally has a pantomime-like first act.
The piece culminates in a grand pas de deux (duet), which is typical in major ballets. Destrooper said partner work is a major foundation of his company.
鈥淚f you have the proper coaching and trust, you can do very challenging things perfectly. You build confidence,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n ballet, the more you dance, the better you get and you can take those skills with you.鈥�
Destrooper said his company of 10 women and four men, including himself, features dancers from across sa国际传媒, Hong Kong, Japan and Europe.
Some stay with the company for several years, while others move on to larger institutions. Destrooper said he doesn鈥檛 mind Ballet Victoria being an incubator for talent. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an investment and I believe the dancers get a unique experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e do a lot of shows for a company our size.鈥�
Those professional-level shows are not just good for the dancers, but for the community, he said.