Huston Harkens Back to Half a Century of Festival’s ‘Cracker

The beloved holiday ballet chestnut The Nutcracker is a fantasy tale of a young girl named Clara, who, after receiving a toy nutcracker from her godfather at a Christmas party, imagines an enchanted journey where her toy turns into a prince to take her to a magical land full of overgrown rats, a Sugar Plum Fairy, dancing snowflakes and other sweet treats in a candy-filled realm. Festival Ballet’s long-running production of The Nutcracker reaches its golden anniversary this weekend, the 50th year – a remarkable achievement considering the ballet has only been performed in the U.S. for 80 years. 

In fact, Festival Ballet’s presentation is one of the longest continuously running (save for the pandemic) productions of the classic in the country. 

But perhaps even more fantastical is the full-circle story of Valerie Huston, the longtime UCSB dance professor and co-director of Festival Ballet’s Nutcracker. It turns out that Huston started taking dance classes as a young child in the San Francisco Bay Area with former Kirov dancer Olga Ziceva, who later hired Robert and Carol Hanlin to teach and choreograph. The latter two moved to Goleta in the late 1960s and later founded Festival Ballet. 

Huston created a new Arabian pas de deux for Festival’s Nutcracker in the late 2000s and has continued to be involved in the school.

“I started with Ziceva when I was five years old, and here I am, ancient now, still teaching and choreographing for The Nutcracker,” she said. 

Huston’s contributions include a new “Star Journey” that takes place during the music that opens Act II, which Huston called the production’s “most unusual piece.”

“In my imagination, Clara and the Prince get to the kingdom of the sweets through the stars,” she said. “There’s a big star drop which is brightly illuminated. It really improves the segue.”

Innovations are exciting, but Festival’s Nutcracker is still a very traditional offering, relying largely on the work’s timeless appeal. 

“Tchaikovsky’s score is some of the most beautiful music he ever wrote, with pieces that are just incredible,” Huston said. “The theme of a young person coming into maturity, the magic of the imagination, and the magic of love all come into play.” 

It doesn’t hurt that Festival’s version features a strong quartet of guest stars augmenting the 75-100 person cast which includes professionals, the school’s students, community members, and others. Misa Kuranaga of San Francisco Ballet, Angelo Greco of Houston Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem stars Alexandra Hutchinson and Kouadio Davis are all back to dance feature roles, bringing a balance of precision and emotion to the world of fantasy. 

Elise Unruh, the retired Carpinteria music teacher and band leader who was co-founded of Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera, continues her decades-long position conducting the live orchestra, and the stage, as always, is lavishly decorated with spectacular sets, while the costumes are the envy of anyone’s closet. The tradition of delighting generations of local youngsters and their families with the magical tales full of splendor and wonder takes over the Arlington for three performances December 13-14, launching the legacy into its next 50 years. 

“Very few dance companies survive even 25 years,” Huston said. “We’ve done well. We’re not giving up.”