The party really gets going with the arrival of family friend and magician Herr Drosselmeyer. He presents a pair of dancing dolls and a dancing toy soldier, a strong solo appearance by company apprentice Cameron Findley. Drosselmeyer also brings a special Nutcracker doll for Clara and a toy Mouse King for Fritz; plus, he dances up a storm and is kind to the servants. He definitely gives good guest. At the party's end, the company goes home, and Fritz and Clara wander downstairs to look at all the Christmas presents. It is then that the two children are transported into an enchanted world of toy-soldier armies and marauding mice. Here the story slips into a fantastic whirl of childhood fears and wishes, from the terror of the mouse army to the allure of Spanish chocolate, sugarplums and other exotic treats.
After a vastly improved fight scene, most of the children disappear and the adults take over as the Nutcracker leads Clara and Fritz on a fantastic journey through snow and ice to the Kingdom of Sweets. On their way, they meet the King and Queen of the Snowflakes. Despite awkward positioning in some of the lifts, Racheal Hummell-Nole and Zeb Nole as the Queen and King were elegant and gracious.
The Act II character variations were generally well-executed. Kristen Cardoza and Cameron Findley performed the sprightly Chinese dance with infectious good humor. In the Arabian section, Rebecca Brimhall demonstrated jaw-dropping, yet controlled, sinuous six o'clock extensions that drew gasps from the opening-night audience. And company newcomer Grigori Arakelyan was an exciting, if slightly out-of-control, Russian dancer.
The most noticeable choreographic change this year was the addition of three couples in the Act II Waltz of the Flowers—the production's strongest section. The three pairs, centered by a lively Kara Hamburg and her secure partner, Jared Hunt, created a focal point for the segment. The corps de ballet was a marvel, sweeping across the stage in a seemingly endless swirl of color. The corps dancers maintained such speed that small breaks in unison could have been excused. However, no excuses were needed. The high quality of the corps performance drew the most sustained applause of the evening.
As the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, Yoomi Lee and Kyu Dong Kwak presented an extraordinary finale in the Grand Pas de Deux and corresponding solos. They were a show by themselves. The duo combined strength with delicacy and charm, holding the audience spellbound and bringing the evening to a satisfying close.