State Street Ballet to perform timeless ballet at The Granada
State Street Ballet dancer Emma Matthews, 26, said she thinks of her 4-year-old niece as she plays Clara, the young girl in “The Nutcracker.”
Whether Emma Matthews is dancing in “The Nutcracker” in Santa Barbara or on the road, one thing’s for sure.
She loves playing Clara.
“It makes me feel like a kid again,” the 26-year-old professional State Street Ballet dancer told the News-Press. “When we go on tour, all the little girls are really excited to see me and talk to me and say ‘I really want to do that!’ I feel really honored to be a role model for that.”
Miss Matthews and the State Street Ballet have been performing “The Nutcracker” throughout the West, but now they’re back home for this weekend’s performances with the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra at The Granada.
The performers include State Street Ballet’s professional dancers, trainees from the company’s Professional Track program and students at the State Street Ballet Academy.
Principal dancers include Nerea Barrondo, Deise Mendonca, and Marika Kobayashi as the Sugar Plum Fairy, with Cavaliers Harold Mendez, Hernan Montenegro, and Kaito Yamamoto. Sergei Domrachev is featured as Herr Drosselmeyer, and Saori Yamashita and Elizaveta Domracheva play the Snow Queen.
Santa Barbara High School senior Olivia Pires will play Clara during the 2 p.m. Saturday show. Dos Pueblos student Sophia Kanard will be in that role during the 2 p.m. Sunday performance.
And Miss Matthews will act and dance as Clara during the 7 p.m. Saturday presentation of the emotional and kinetic ballet, inspired by Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.
“I have a niece who’s 4 years old. Whenever I’m playing that character (Clara), I think of her, of what she would do. She has inspired me a lot,” Miss Matthews told the News-Press last week by phone from Durango, Colo., one of State Street Ballet’s stops on a tour that has included cities such as Fresno and Spokane, Wash.
“I really love going on tour,” Miss Matthews said. “We get to see so many different cities, with different orchestras. It’s interesting to dance with different children in each place. They bring something new to the table.
“You have to be on your toes!” the dancer said.
“I feel as the tour goes on, I feel more and more comfortable and stronger,” Miss Matthews said. “By the time we’re back in Santa Barbara, I’m at my peak.
“I really love the Santa Barbara audiences because they’re very appreciative of the arts,” the Vernon, N.J., native said. “Santa Barbara is my favorite place to perform, and The Granada is so beautiful.”
Megan Phillip, one of the three rehearsal directors for the State Street Ballet production, choreographed the snow scene in “The Nutcracker.”
“We get 16 dancers on stage at one time in sparkling white tutus,” Mrs. Phillip told the News-Press. “It’s the very end of the first act, and it closes with snow coming down.”
Mrs. Phillip, who’s also State Street Ballet’s director of its professional track program, discussed the longtime popularity of “The Nutcracker.”
“Number one, you have Tchaikvosky’s iconic score,” she said. “Turn on any Christmas station, and they’re playing ‘The Nutcracker.’ I don’t think there’s any person who doesn’t recognize a piece of ‘The Nutcracker’ music.
“It’s a timeless tale about the magic of childhood, a kid’s imagination and dreams so real that they become real. It’s good vs. evil. And it’s all wrapped up in a Christmas bow.”
The ballet is known for appealing to everyone, with everything from romantic scenes to a battle.
“It’s an epic production that has something for everyone,” Mrs. Phillip said.
She talked about the dancers playing Clara.
“Olivia Pires is a vibrant young lady with the most beautiful smile,” Mrs. Phillip said about the Santa Barbara High School senior playing Clara during the 2 p.m. Saturday matinee.
As mentioned previously, Dos Pueblos student Sophia Kanard will portray Clara at the 2 p.m. Sunday show.
“Sophia is wonderful,” Ms. Phillip said. “Sophia’s Clara is a little bit softer, a little bit more reserved, but special in her own way.
“It’s fun having three different people working in this role,” Ms. Phillip said.
“Emma has her own sweet, special take on the character,” Ms. Phillip said. “She’s in her mid-20s now, and it’s interesting to see how a grown woman changes herself into being a little girl. Emma is a really beautiful dancer, and she’s expressive.”
Miss Matthews started her dance lessons at age 4. During high school, she received a scholarship to attend a special high school established for dance students: the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, where she received academic instruction for a couple hours a day and danced the rest of the day. “You’d train almost like an Olympian,” she recalled.
“Because I was there all day, every day, it made me realize I wanted to pursue dancing (as a career),” Miss Matthews said.
In 2018, Miss Matthews joined State Street Ballet, where she performed in productions such as “Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella” and “Carmen Burana.”
“When you go on stage, it feels like you’re the only person in the world, in a way,” Miss Matthews said. “It’s very quiet, and you can feel the air is very still.”
Then comes the adrenaline rush of dancing, and Miss Matthews can’t get enough of it. “I really, really love performing.”
email: dmason@newspress.com
FYI
State Street Ballet will perform “The Nutcracker” at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at The Granada,
1214 State St., Santa Barbara.
Tickets vary from $38 to $121, with a discounted price of $26 for children 12 and younger in select prize zones. To purchase, go to granadasb.org. A student discount is also available for purchase at The Granada’s box office.
