Tradition dances to Detroit

Now, for the third year in a row, the University Musical Society is bringing a new version of this classic ballet to Michigan for the holiday season. "The Harlem Nutcracker" will be performed in a larger venue this year - the Detroit Opera House - rather than in Ann Arbor, making the performance open to more people.

Popular in its own right, "The Harlem Nutcracker" maintains a unique identity from the traditional ballet. "It's a 180 degree difference," the show's star Gus Solomons, Jr. said. Donald Byrd's show includes Duke Ellington's musical interpretation of "The Nutcracker Suite" and jazz dancing.

Courtesy of The University Musical Society The Harlem Nutcracker begins its Holiday jaunt at the Detroit Opera House on Friday, and can be seen until Dec. 6.

"The Harlem Nutcracker" keeps Clara as the main character, but transforms her into an African American grandmother rather than a little girl. The story follows Clara as she celebrates her first Christmas after her husband's death while dreaming of their courtship in 1920s Harlem.

Duke Ellington's music from the Harlem Renaissance captures the mood of this era. Ellington adapted Tchaikovsky's music in 1960 for his orchestra. The jazz score features "Sugar Rum Cherry" instead of the traditional "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," for example. David Berger composed and arranged additions to the Duke Ellington score for this show.

New jazz music also required adding other types of dance to the traditional ballet. Choreographer Donald Byrd "has taken the ballet dancing from the original and infused it with street dancing ... and jazz," Solomons said. "Overall, it would be called jazz, but it's not jazz in the conventional style."

To take on the challenge of combining ballet and jazz, Byrd doubled the size of his normal dance company to 21. "The dancers have been trained in jazz and ballet, so they pretty much know everything," Solomons said, "and they really have to do everything."

A professional dancer for the past 40 years, Solomons plays the husband, while actress Eleanor McCoy, who has danced with Alvin Ailey's company, portrays Clara. The company also includes two dancers from the Dance Theatre of Harlem. The show "is a whirlwind of energy," Solomons said. "The dance is very demanding physically."

In a business dominated by young performers, this show stars two dancers who've passed the traditional age for leads. Solomons attributes this to a movement going on in the New York dance community. "The youth culture of dance is starting to run its course, and now people are wondering what happened to the artistry," Solomons said. Artistry "gives the show depth so you get both spectacle and emotional content."

That's just one of the reasons he continues to perform in "The Harlem Nutcracker," which draws a variety of people to the theatre. "It's a great show for kids, but it's got the adult story," Solomons said. "It's funny, it's sad, it's very entertaining. It's a show that has everything," he explained.

"The Harlem Nutcracker" even draws people in who have never been to the theatre before. "It's a catalyst that's bringing together the jazz audience, the music audience, the ballet audience and the black audience," Solomons said.

Tickets prices cost $12-50. Call UMS at 764-2538 for more information, including bus service and rush tickets for 50 percent off the regular price. Each show through Dec. 5 begins at 8 p.m., except for Nov. 30- Dec.1. There are 2 p.m. shows on Nov. 28-29 and Dec.5-6.

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