DANCE REVIEW : Palomar College Offers a Palatable Assortment of Holiday Treats

This time of year, dance groups take their yuletide favorites out of mothballs, symphony orchestras trot out the best of their holiday repertory, and chorales sing out the joys of the season.

What makes Palomar College Christmas shows unusual is that they combine three performing groups on the same program, spreading holiday cheer in music, dance and song.

Robert Gilson conducts the Palomar Community Orchestra, David Chase leads the Palomar Chorale, and a mix of dancers (culled from the college and the community) dance a seasonal offering whipped up by Tom Hansen of the dance faculty.

Last weekend, the annual concert featured a new dance work, titled “A Christmas Fantasy,” that Hansen conceived and choreographed for 35 dancers of all sizes and levels of ability. Fortunately, the ensemble was so well drilled and so handsomely costumed for the occasion that the whole looked a lot better than the sum of its parts.

Hansen’s “Fantasy” followed a simple storybook scenario--with Santa Claus hosting a party and a guest list that included Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph and a “Nutcracker”-like assortment of gumdrops, toy soldiers, Christmas trees and icicles.

The choreographer’s roots are in show biz, and he knows how to use glitzy trappings and the Vegas-style kick line, with their endless opportunities to create stunning stage pictures. Hansen made the most of those glamorous motifs in the opening party scene--with a large ensemble of black-tied men and chiffon-clad women weaving intricate patterns. Later he did it again in a high-style chorus line number called “The Christmas Strut.”

A jolly Santa and his wife (danced by Bill Jordan and Helen Peitroforte) made a bang with their dandy tap dance routine, and a delicate assortment of “snowflakes” took a turn in shimmering white skirts that looked like a page out of “The Nutcracker’s” frigid Snow Kingdom. Just when you started to take it all seriously, Hansen shifted gears and sent in a trio of tumblers for a bouncy variation on the dancing snowflake theme.

The show had a delightful comic side that included a routine featuring some unusual party crashers--a group of penguins--decked out in wonderful roly-poly costumes.

Later, a dazzling assortment of dancing Christmas trees borrowed gliding movements from the Soviet Georgians and turned a little throw-away into a show-stopper--quite a feat when you consider that most of the dancers under those ornate tree outfits were youngsters.

Jennifer Ingle had one of the few solo spots in this festive holiday potpourri, and made it a lovely showcase for her long-legged maneuvers as the little drummer girl.

Although “The Nutcracker” was not included on the dance portion of the program, Tchaikovsky’s mellifluous music for the ballet was a centerpiece of the program. The popular seasonal piece was performed by the joint forces of the Palomar Community Orchestra and the North County Civic Youth Advanced Orchestra, under Robert Gilson’s able direction.

Dance lovers may have missed the characteristic dances, but listening to the sounds of “The Nutcracker” without the typical kinetic bric-a-brac underscored the magnificence of the music--even in a somewhat flawed performance. Credit Maestro Gilson for coaxing the best out of his orchestra, particularly in the exuberant Russian Dance, and soloist Ann Gelvin for the delightful tingling sounds of the celesta.

Connie Venti was the featured soloist for Geoffrey Bush’s “A Christmas Cantata,” the Palomar Chorale’s portion of the program. Her sweet soprano voice was in fine fettle for the Sunday matinee performance.

Conductor David Chase had his large ensemble thoroughly rehearsed, and they gave a very polished performance of the familiar Christmas music. Ron Fox was a particular standout, producing dulcet tones from his oboe in the prelude and epilogue.

Palomar’s “Holiday Festival of Music and Dance” made no pretensions of being anything but a seasonal diversion. But its triple-focus approach was bursting with Christmas spirit.