“Nutcracker” production coming to Santa Rosa features a circus atmosphere

Since 2010, Talmi Entertainment of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has presented its production of the classic ballet “The Nutcracker” at Santa Rosa’s Luther Burbank Center for the Arts.

The Talmi production is on its 32nd annual North American tour, with two different casts making more than 90 stops all together, and will return Dec. 17 to Luther Burbank Center.

The show will feature more 40 professional dancers from Ukraine, Japan, Italy, United Kingdom, Poland and elsewhere.

The principal dancers are Karyna Shatkovskaya and Elena Pechenyuk from Ukriane, Batur Buklu of Turkey and Rustern Imangaliyev of Kazakhstan.

“It’s a very international show,” said Bobbie Christopolis, director of sales for Talmi Entertainment. “The new show is much more diverse. We have people coming from a number of different countries.”

Formerly known as the “Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker” for three decades, the show was rebranded as “Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet” in 2022.

“We rebranded out of respect for our Ukranian dancers,” Christopolis said. The move was prompted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she explained. “We couldn’t call it Moscow.”

“Our devotion to peace is integral to our show,” she added. “The message of peace is very important for us to share now.”

An exclusive to Talmi Entertainment’s “Nutcracker’ is Act II’s depiction of the “Land of Peace and Harmony,” featuring the signature acro-ballet adagio “Doves of Peace.”

The Santa performance also will include16 dancers from the Sonoma Conservatory of Dance, ranging in age from 6 to 17, who were cast in local auditions this past fall.

“We always cast those roles locally when we tour,” Christpolis said.

Polish choreographer Viktor Davydiuk blends classical ballet with avant-garde circus techniques, enhanced by puppets designed by Roger Titley of South Africa.

“There are a lot of circus features. We have a lot more acrobats in the show this year,” Christpolis added.

This year’s production features.a Cyr wheel, a large, single ring that circus artists use to perform acrobatic moves while spinning and rolling across the floor.

The Cyr Wheel artist will portray a new character, the Herald, who leads the young heroine, Clara, through a elebration adorned with dancing couples and 10-foot-tall puppets. Shatkovskaya and Pechenyuk will reprise the role of Clara.

“We have more puppets this year and bird puppet were added,” Christpolis said. “Many are doves and others are jungle birds.”

The costumes were designed by Arthur Oliver, who is based in Massachusetts.

“The costumes really glow under the lights onstage,” Christpolis said. “And the backdrops are hand-painted.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On X @danarts.