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Before Garrett Ammon’s ballet company got its makeover as Wonderbound, The Nutcracker was a stock annual performance for what was then Ballet Nouveau Colorado, just as it is for so many other companies. But in the present, Ammon wanted to drop the stiff crinolines of the Tchaikovsky classic for something slinkier, more modern and interactive. He came up with Winter, a sassy evening of dance designed to appeal to all the senses.
The centerpiece of the experience, says spokeswoman Amber Blais, is a pre-show spread of locally prepared food from Brian Crowe of Devil’s Food, Noah French of Sugarmill, Fuel Cafe’s Bob Blair and Amerigo’s Iain Chisholm. But sight, touch, hearing and smell will also be part of the mix, with such innovations as illusionistic projection mapping, dancers leaping among the audience, specially blended scents from perfumer Michelle Roark and dark folk tunes from musician Jesse Manley and his band, interspersed throughout the evening.
“The story is like a dark fairy tale,” Blais notes. “This isn’t for families; it’s more of a night out for adults, like a date night. We want it to be an experience from the second you walk in the door.”
Winter debuts tonight and runs twice nightly on Wednesdays and Thursdays through December 18 at Wonderbound’s Junction Box Studio, 1075 Park Avenue West; appetizers will be served at the 6:15 shows and desserts at the 8:30 nightcaps. Tickets are $60; reserve yours at wonderbound.com.
Wed., Dec. 10, 6:15 & 8:30 p.m.; Thu., Dec. 11, 6:15 & 8:30 p.m.; Wed., Dec. 17, 6:15 & 8:30 p.m.; Thu., Dec. 18, 6:15 & 8:30 p.m., 2014
