Children are the true barometer of theatrical success. This past Sunday, the happy high-pitched cacaphony of children’s voices filled the sold-out 867-seat North Shore Center for the Performing Arts before the curtain went up on Salt Creek Ballet’s final 2015 performance of “The Nutcracker.” But when the lights dimmed, and the familiar trumpet theme of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker overture beguiled their ears and marched straight for their hearts, the curtain rose on a magical world that beckoned them in and held their hushed attention for two hours of spun confection.
Masterful staging by company directors Sergey Kozadayev and Zhanna Dubrovskaya tells the traditional story, based on the 19th-century E.T.A. Hoffman tale, with a decidedly Russian flair. Salt Creek’s Nutcracker bookends the fairy tale magic of the story with Clara’s dream, allowing for the transformation of the child Clara and the toy Nutcracker into adult dancers who participate fully as soloists in the snow transformation scene and Act II’s entertainment. This is a nice touch, handled with astonishing stage magic by the master of ceremonies, Herr Drosselmeyer, played with marvelous animation, mystery, and fun by Ricardo Garcia, an accomplished former Chicago professional turned business manager/administrator.
Gorgeous sets by Simon Pastukh and costumes by Galina Solovyeva are worthy of any professional company. North Shore's stage is framed by a false proscenium of colorful layered drapes and masking that use contrasting painted patterns and textures to create both enchanting visual design and a sense of depth. Act I presents a detailed European drawing room complete with magic Christmas tree that grows to extreme proportions and overwhelms reality as Charles Cooper’s brilliant lighting transforms the stage to a snowy scene. Fanciful onion-shaped spires and domes of historic Russia rise outside the windows and rooftop of the Stahlbaum’s lavish home, and form, in Act II, the backdrop for the Land of the Sweets.
Accomplished students of the School of the Salt Creek Ballet, from the youngest party guests to advanced, pre-professional teens, make up the ensemble and take some of the solo roles, but there is nothing amateurish about this production.
Salt Creek "Waltz of the Flowers"
Guest artists Marinia Mosina and Alexei Tyukov, on loan from the Colorado Ballet, dazzle as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier Prince, filling the Tchaikovsky’s dramatic music with the grandeur of eternal love it deserves in the Grand Pas de Deux. A few professional Salt Creek alums and local pros fill in with star turns in solo roles. Markian Pylpczak’s kazatsky moves in “Russian” are truly spectacular. But Salt Creek Ballet teens, Stefanee Montesantos as Princess Clara, Monique Lagessie in “Spanish,” and Rheana Montesantos in “Waltz Solo” join them with the requisite ballerina goods. These young ladies took the stage hands down with radiance, poise, and professional-caliber dancing.
That’s not to slight the charming young dancers who embraced their roles as Snowflakes, Snow Crystals, “Chinese,” and “Miriltons” with both technical polish and lyrical expression. The child Clara, played by Brittney DiBartolo, delighted with expansive movement in the quite considerable amount of dancing afforded her character in this version of Act I. 
Salt Creek Ballet "Harlequin and Columbine"
And how, you may ask, does a ballet school tucked away in suburban Hinsdale sustain a company of this caliber, not to mention a Nutcracker of this scope? Thirty years in the making, beginning with founding director Patricia Sigurdson, in 1985, and continuing since 1998 with the vision, drive, and artistic leadership of current Salt Creek Ballet directors, the school and company maintain the highest standards of excellence, providing professional training to generations of aspiring dancers in the western suburbs. Kozadayev and Dubrovskaya have drawn an impressive staff of skilled professional collaborators to their village from all over the world, many from their native Russia, and have inspired the faithful support of a loyal community of sponsors and volunteers. Long may they flourish!