Samantha Rivard has dance in her DNA. It will come in handy as the 11-year-old from Pointe-Claire takes on three roles in the Ballet Ouest production of the Nutcracker which opens at Centre Pierre Péladeau in Montreal for a three-show run on Dec. 3.
Rivard is a third-generation Nutcracker performer.
Her grandmother and mother both performed in the ballet in the past, and last year her uncle performed the role of the King of the Rats.
“It’s a family thing; we all dance,” Rivard said. Dad auditioned for the production last year, but his day job got in the way. (Ballet Ouest has always had the tradition of casting family members of the young dancers in the Act 1 Christmas party scene.)
Rivard danced the role of Clara in last year’s production. Clara is a role coveted by every little girl who dreams of one day becoming a professional ballet dancer.
This year, she graduates to the more technically-difficult role of a confiseuses (candy maker). Eight confiseuses, dressed in beautiful white tutus, open Act 2 of artistic director Claude Caron’s version of the classic, which ushers in the holiday season.
Rivard also dances the role of a soldier and, in a fun twist, the role of Clara’s mischievous brother Fritz. She shares the role of Fritz with François Gagné. The company tours the production to St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and L’Assomption following the Montreal run, but Gagné’s academic commitments prevent him from being able to perform in all the shows.
Fritz is a complete departure, personality-wise, from the demure Clara.
“I get to act more as Fritz,” Rivard said. “He gets into quite a bit of trouble. I like that. I have a lot of fun.”
Rivard has been dancing longer than she can remember and she plans to keep up the pace and become a professional ballet dancer. To round out her training, she also takes contemporary and jazz classes and over the summer, she took some hip-hop classes.
“I wasn’t the greatest (in hip hop), I must admit,” she said with a laugh.
The ballet about the Nutcracker doll that transforms into a handsome prince and transports Clara to the Land of the Sweets is a crowd pleaser but it wasn’t always the case.
Set to music by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, the original Nutcracker was choreographed by Marius Petipa in 1892 and was not well received. But over the decades, the ballet has grown to be arguably the most popular in the world. Most classical ballet companies have a version in their repertoires. It is a ballet with a wide appeal — attracting audiences that don’t often pay to watch dance.
And it is a ballet that puts people in a holiday state of mind. Rivard has a visceral reaction every time she hears the music.
“I hear it and I want to get up and dance,” she said. “The music makes me happy.”
Ballet Ouest performs the Nutcracker at Centre Pierre Péladeau, 300 de Maisonneuve Blvd. E., Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. and Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. For tour details or to buy online tickets, visit www.balletouest.com or call the box office, 514-987-6919.
