Dancing Arts Center Performs 'The Nutcracker'

Karyn Edison has been the director of the in Holliston for its entire 32-year existence. But even after three-plus decades, her love of the Center's annual Holiday Concert hasn't diminished.

The DAC gave two Holiday Concert performances on Saturday at MassBay Community College in Wellesley. As is always the case, the piece de resistance of the concert is the performance of "The Nutcracker." The DAC, however, opted to do a more modern take on the classic Russian ballet before shifting back to a more traditional version.

"I'm proud of them," Edison says about the students. "I'm impressed with how many people are supporting the arts."

Many of the volunteers helping out with the set and at the doors have been helping for up to 15 years.

"I have many hats to wear and I look at it from many perspectives," Edison said. "It comes together because I trust my students to know their dance and the volunteers to understand what they have to do."

The prelude to "The Nutcracker" had four pieces. All the pieces were modern and the outfits were entirely appropriate. The second number was the indie folk ballad "Homeless Holiday" by Sara Bareilles and the dancers all wore modern street clothes (hooded sweatshirts, beanies, jeans and scarves). For Sufjan Stevens' "Frost in the Air," the lighting made the actors' silhouettes dance gracefully on the wall.

After an intermission, "The Nutcracker" was performed in the traditional light. Wayne Stewarte, the company's longtime choreographer, played Drosselmeyer. At the beginning, the set had a striking backdrop of the manse, a toy house, a Christmas tree, and the presentation of The Nutcracker toy went off without a hitch.

The turbans and sashes worn for the whirling dervish Arabian dance looked professional and the dancing until then remained so as well. The props at the end of the "ice cream social" number included a cone for each performer and they nibbled and partook with jollity, rounding out the evening with an impressive finale.

In past years, the performance was held at the larger Babson College, but with canned music, the acoustics there were not always the best. This year's performance at MassBay had better acoustics and was a more intimate setting for the crowd, with the matinee and evening showings each filling about half the seats.

Happy with the day's performances, Edison mentioned how these shows "bring a chance for her to relax, and let the other people involved prove themselves, understand themselves, enjoy themselves, and engage the hearts and minds of the audience members."