Enjoying Inland Pacific Ballet’s The Nutcracker

When I was in junior high every December we would take a field trip to the local college for a production of The Nutcracker. Of course, I loved any excuse to get out of class but I enjoyed the performance, too. Yet, for several years those were my only viewings of the iconic ballet. Luckily, this year I was invited to Inland Pacific Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker at Bridges Auditorium in Claremont and I happily attended.

Inland Pacific Ballet is a professional ballet company based in the Inland Empire that every December stages The Nutcracker at various performance halls throughout the region. Last Saturday, the debut performance was held at the historic Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College.

Since it had be so long since my last viewing of The Nutcracker I remembered very little of the plot and was excited to relearn the classic tale. Honestly, I’d forgotten how odd it is. A young girl, Clara, receives an enchanted nutcracker for Christmas and is transported to a world filled with unique characters like the Mouse King, the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy.

When it comes to The Nutcracker the plot hardly matters because it’s really all about the dance and the Inland Pacific Ballet did not disappoint. With a huge cast of all ages from toddlers to adults the dancing was exquisite. The dancers leapt and pirouetted around the stage performing amazing feats with the greatest of ease. Two standouts were Lawrence Chen and Brandon J who took on multiple roles and danced with both athleticism and grace. The role of Clara was danced by Lucy Cox and she performed it beautifully.

In addition, the sets and costumes were absolutely beautiful. Filled with color and detail they burst forth from the stage and presented a truly, enchanted world.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed Inland Pacific Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker and it’s not too late to catch a show this season.  From Friday December 15, 2017 – Sunday December 17, 2017 you can find it at Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga and Friday, December 22, 2017 and Saturday December 23, 2017 it will be at Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside. It really is a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.