Isabella Webb

Variety of celebrations in GHDT ‘Winterfest’

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By Wendy Carson

Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre gives us a shimmering delight with its presentation of “Winterfest,” paying tribute to pretty much every December holiday/celebration in existence.

This inclusiveness, combined with Gregory Glade Hancock’s style of choreography make this show a standout and must-see for anyone who enjoys dance of any kind. Plus, this year’s show highlights a new opportunity being offered by the GHDT Studio.

To “Welcome Winter,” we begin with three of the dancers showing off their ballet prowess in toe shoes, then move to a couple’s romantic encounters, and finally six dancers flitting about conjuring literally visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads. And that was just the first of the ten pieces being offered.

Primary male dancer Thomas Mason, who choreographs most of the sections of the program, highlights the younger student dancers in “St. Nicholas Day.” Their energy and grace brought a joyous warmth to the performance.

Hancock’s costuming sense hits a crescendo with the next two numbers: “Kwanzaa” has the dancers in black outfits with red and green stripes, highlighting the colors of the festival, while each has an individual emblem on the top representing one of the holiday’s seven principles. A simple white dress with an indigo ombre skirt represents the rebirth of light after the longest night of the year to celebrate the “Winter Solstice,” or Yule.

“Diwali” finds the younger dancers back and allows each one a short solo to highlight their individual abilities.

To expound on the opportunity I mentioned above, Guest dancers Zoe Maish and David Elser present a lively ballroom version of “Man with the Bag” to show off their skills and allow you to see what potentially waits for anyone signing up for Ballroom Dance lessons that they will soon be offering.

Mason’s choreography of “Saint Lucia Day” showed the somber spiritual grace and beauty that is also a solid part of the holiday celebrations.

Dancer and frequent GHDT program cover model Olivia Payton shows off her choreographic chops with “Las Posadas,” which celebrates Joseph and Mary’s journey to the stable in Bethlehem. These dances offer a flirty style and allows each primary dancer a chance to individually shine.

Hancock choses to highlight both the solemn history behind “Hanukkah” and the joy and humor of those of the Jewish faith.

The evening concludes with “Christmas,” choreographed by Mason, and allows for a few of the very youngest pupils to show off what they’ve learned as well as bring smiles to one and all. The whole troupe gets to shine throughout.

Dancers include Mason, Payton, Abigail Lessaris, Sophie Jones, Vivien Mickels, Josie Moody, Audrey Springer, and Nathalie Boyle, as well as students Eva Abanunova, Arden Brothers, Valerie Bussell, Magnolia Donaghey, Fiadh Flynn, Luna Garelli, Lera Griffis, Vivien Maresh, Hazel Moore, Morgann Rice, Isabella Webb, and Anya Willis.

After the show, there is a complimentary hot chocolate bar to help you keep the joyful moments going.

The entire night was spectacular and really gets you energized for – as well as remembering the meanings of –the Winter Holidays.

The best part is that this was not just a one-weekend production! See it for yourself Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, Dec. 12-14, at The Florence at The Academy of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, 329 Gradle Drive, Carmel. Get tickets at gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org.

‘Spring’ anticipates more artistry from GHDT

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By John Lyle Belden

Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre had a beautiful two-day run of its program, “Spring Equinox,” on April 4 and 5 at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Circumstances led to us seeing it on the second day.

I’m usually not comfortable writing up something you who read this cannot also enjoy. However, Gregory Glade Hancock’s company has much more planned in the coming weeks and months.

In “Spring Equinox,” which he said was themed around “beauty in unexpected places,” Hancock mostly brought back works he choreographed for a past generation, including “The Western Wall,” as dancers represented prayers flying up from the old Jewish Temple wall  in Jerusalem, using colorful costumes from the 1998 premiere; and “Contusion,” an abstract dance set to the percussion music of Australia, originally premiered in 1999 but now with updated costumes to better reflect Aboriginal culture. This latter piece, even with less of a storytelling element, was still a crowd-pleaser with its energy and rhythms that the audience spontaneously picked up, clapping to encourage the dancers.

This season’s company – Abigail Lessaris, Sophie Jones, Josie Moody, Cordelia Newton, Olivia Payton, Audrey Springer, and Thomas Mason – had solo opportunities in 1998’s “God’s Island,” with its country-folk soundtrack, and for Mason, an excerpt from the recent production, “There’s No Place Like Home.”

This program also presented a beautiful new work by Hancock, “The Lady of Krakow,” inspired by his recent visit to Poland during a tour of Eastern Europe. There, he saw a street performer singing, observing not only her but also how other people reacted, stopped to listen, or just walked on by. “And I thought to myself,” Hancock said in his pre-show talk, “what if they just started dancing?”

In this performance, acclaimed local vocalist Ashley Nicole Soprano stood center stage as The Lady, treating us all to sacred operatic arias as the GHDT dancers walked around and by, then one or two or more at a time, stopped, and swaying to her vocal spell, became the music visually.  Hancock student dancers Arina Bolotina, Magnolia Donaghey, Penelope Lomax, Isabella Webb, and Brittney Zhang joined the company in this wonderful spectacle. It had the feel of a street scene being elevated to a moment in a ballet or classic silver-screen musical.

Soprano will return to collaborate with GHDT in its next “Melange,” May 17-18 at The Florence performance space in The Academy of GHDT, 329 Gradle Drive in Carmel. In this show, as in past Melanges, our vocalist will be the only one with a planned program, but no rehearsal. She will be joined by Hancock company dancer Springer, who will interpret as the singing and music moves her, and visual artist Gaby Mojica, who will observe and create an original work in acrylic paint inspired by it all.

The company as a whole will return to The Tarkington stage at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel for “Summer Solstice” on June 6-7 with another program of new and revived dances.

For information, and tickets to “Melange,” see gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org; tickets to “Solstice” are also available at thecenterpresents.org.

GHDT does ‘Nutcracker’ their own way

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By John Lyle Belden

Likely one of the most produced entertainments this time of year (aside from a play with someone named Scrooge) is some version of “The Nutcracker.” Let us suggest you check out Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre’s unique vision of the classic E.T.A. Hoffmann children’s story, performing this weekend in downtown Carmel.

Choreographed by Gregory Glade Hancock with Dawn Deahl and Shari Washington Rhone, this dance program is a showcase for all ages of students at the Academy of GHDT. The contemporary feel is enhanced by a largely Tchaikovsky-free score, instead featuring music by the likes of David Arkenstone, David Byrne, Danny Elfman, and Hans Zimmer. The arrangements work, and still serve the story.

Another difference is the casting of a boy, “Klarence,” performed by Vincent Kitchen in select performances. Others have the more traditional Klara, danced by his twin sister, Violet Kitchen. We attended a performance with Vincent, who is outstanding, already showing the poise and presence of dancers much older.

Featured dancers also include Audrey Holloway, Hillary Riley, and Audrey Springer, who appear as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker, and a soloist in the international dances. Megan Webb appears as Drosselmeyer, Evangeline Meadows is the Mouse Queen, and Zoe Hacker is the Snow Fairy.

Other dancers include Claire Bagato, Annabelle Breeden, Arden Brothers, Fiadh Flynn, Lera Griffis, Amelia Joest, Aailyah Johnson, Stella Kitchen, Jocelyn Larry, Jo’Nia Larry, Jovair Larry, Josephine Meadows, Hazel Moore, Ellington Thacker, Isabella Webb, Molly Webb, and Tara Williams.

Presented with Hancock’s flair for visual storytelling, this familiar yet unique production is at the GHDT performance space, The Florence, at 329 Gradle Drive, Carmel, Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 7-10. (Parking spaces will be kept open for patrons – the Carmel Christkindlmarkt is nearby.) For information and tickets, visit gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org.  

Gregory Hancock gives fairy tales a fun twist

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By John Lyle Belden

An issue I sometimes have with dance is that I find it hard to follow exactly what is going on, what the dancers are trying to portray — there is no such problem with “Once Upon a Time,” by Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre.

The subject matter is as familiar as childhood — popular fairy tales. But Gregory Glade Hancock and his dancers have put their own spin (and leap, and…) on the stories to freshen the narrative. Like in the musical “Into the Woods,” they all seem to occupy the same fanciful space, including an Enchanted Forest, in which the dancers got to work their own choreography.

Red Riding Hood (Hannah Brown) starts the stories by making her delivery. It seems Grandma appreciates the goodies so much, she just wants to dance with Red, though she does look suspiciously furry. As it turns out, the Wolf (Olivia Payton) while big, isn’t so bad — despite harassing pigs — and mostly just wants to get belly-rubs from the Princesses. 

Narcoleptic Beauty (Chloe Holzman) — turns out it wasn’t just a cursed spinning-wheel — turns in the show’s best performance, especially when constantly dancing in and out of consciousness with the Handsome Prince (Thomas Mason). She puts in moments of gracefully collapsing throughout the show, to great comic effect. As for his Highness, being the only man in the company, he has to be everybody’s Prince, which does result in a chase scene or two. But the one he loves is himself, exemplified with his solo number with a hand-mirror — what a “selfie” was 500 years ago.

In other stories coming to life: 

  • Cinderella (Camden Lancaster) sweeps through, dreaming of future happiness, but the glass that is most important to her is in the spectacles on her face, not the shoes on her feet. The Fairy Godmother (Hannah Winkler) gives her frames worthy of Elton John. But Cindy’s desire to look good is greater than her myopia, with appropriately funny results.
  • Little Bo Peep (Josie Moody) has given up on sheep and herds the Three Little Pigs (Payton*, Winkler, and Jillian Hogan). 

(*Not only ironic — playing Pig and Wolf — but I could have sworn all three Pigs were with the Wolf when he huffed and puffed them. Talk about talent.)

  • Rapunzel (Zoe Maish) has the strongest weave in the kingdom, which others can’t resist messing with. 
  • Snow White (Anna Williamson) shakes off the apple’s effect and, with the Prince otherwise occupied, looks for love elsewhere. Seven young students don cap and beard as the Seven Dwarves (Annabelle Breeden, Ashton Curry, Violet Kitchen, Vincent Kitchen, Josephine Meadows, Isabella Webb, and Elli Thacker) — one of which also opens the show by playing the Boy in pajamas with the storybook of these twisted tales.
  • Pinocchio (Morgan Beane) is the Trickster character of the show. Having not learned his lessons yet, he gets his long nose into all manner of mischief throughout the evening.
  • As for the Witch (Abigail Lessaris), the apple isn’t the only curse that’s failing. Her powers have fizzled, and she dances desperately to rekindle them — but be careful what you wish for.

We are also enchanted by some fairies (Zoe Hacker, Alyssa Henderson, Evangeline Meadows, Megan Webb). The supporting cast (who also act as ushers) include Stephanie Blaufuss, Allie Hanning, Audrey Holloway, Molly Kinkade, Stella Kitchen, Sophia Rice, Taylor Smith, Audrey Springer, Ava Thomas, and Rebecca Zigmond. 

This is the Hancock company’s annual cabaret fundraiser, fitting nicely into the big black-box studio of the Academy of GHDT (329 Gradle Drive, Carmel, near the Center for the Performing Arts). The students don’t pressure you too much to give, though there is a clever “grow Rapunzel’s hair” board to track giving. There is also a free treat at every seat.

The talent and athleticism are amazing to watch, with graceful and easy-to-follow storytelling through movement. This show gives a chuckle to all ages, is an easy inspiration to youth — and reminds the casual viewer that there is more to dance than “The Nutcracker.”

It’s also very popular. The final performances Saturday and Sunday are sold out, but Friday, Feb. 21, has been added. Get tickets at ghdtonceuponatime.eventbrite.com. Get company information at www.gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org.