Chinese Troupe Performs Uneven ‘Nutcracker’

At last it’s happened--a Chinese ballet company is touring a “Nutcracker” in which it brings to the West a representation of itself created by an American choreographer, following the ballet’s original 19th century Russian choreographer. Ballet tradition is a funny thing.

The idea of dancers from the Classical Ballet of Guangzhou acting out the official “Nutcracker” version of themselves is odd, but fortunately, their second act, “Chinese dance,” isn’t a bowing and bobbing Orientalist stereotype, but a spritely classical duet with one quaint detail--index fingers held aloft, out to each side, not done in any of China’s indigenous dance forms.

But “The Nutcracker” is a fantasy, so allowances are made--the so-called ethnic dances in the second act were nicely diverting and beautifully costumed in this version, created by David Wilcox.

The crucial aspects of this annual Christmas ballet are the way dancing fits Tchaikovsky’s lush score and whether a warm, fantastical atmosphere is created. This 8-year-old company had some problems in both areas as it made its U.S. debut Saturday night at Valley High School Auditorium in Santa Ana.

To begin, there was no sense of a bustling, homey Christmas Eve in the first scene. Lacking energetic mime, this party was overly formal and flat. The snow scene and, later, the flower ensemble, fared better, beautifully costumed and competently (if noisily) executed. But the technical level of dancing was often uneven. Extensions were flung high, and pirouettes sometimes beautifully centered, but many performances lacked authority and nuance.

That Tchaikovsky created evocative melodies and was at the height of his orchestrating powers when he wrote the score usually helps any “Nutcracker.” But not when there are problems in the pit. The orchestra, led by Roger Hickman, had trouble picking up the threads so often that many familiar passages were almost unrecognizable. Sometimes, dancing to a tape isn’t such a bad idea.

* Classical Ballet of Guangzhou presents “The Nutcracker” at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, Sunday, 2 p.m. $15-$38; and at Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach, Dec. 21-23, 8 p.m. $25-$38. (562) 290-0323.