Date: Fri 01-Sep-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-9

Quick Words:

Nutcracker-Mark-Charov-Hawkins

Full Text:

Dancing Is Year-Round For These Professionals

(with photos)

By Shannon Hicks

For students, fall begins the first day they step onto the bus or into the

classroom for another year. Hanukkah, Christmas and winter are another full

season away, and not many are thinking about counting the shopping days left.

Certainly fewer people are thinking yet about taking in performances of the

perennial show of the season - any version of The Nutcracker Suite - with its

unforgettable music by Tchaikovsky, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, the

Nutcraker.

Organizers of the shows, which are performed around the world, are certainly

thinking about their productions of The Nutcracker , however, including Marsha

Mark of Newtown, the namesake of the Marsha Ismailoff-Mark School of Ballet

and art director of Ballet Miniature and the Malenkee Ballet Repertoire

Company. Ballet Miniature annually produces a stunning production of the

classic holiday ballet at the Bethel Middle School, with this winter's

production the ninth one to be presented by the school.

Last week, dancers of the school had something very special happen, when

dancers Alexi Charov and Oscar Hawkins, both of the Indianapolis Ballet

Theatre, visited Newtown to do partnering classes with Ms Mark's dancers. The

trip to Newtown for the two male dancers was in part to do the class, but also

to familiarize themselves with the dancers, all in preparation leading up to

the performances in December. Ballet Miniature's audiences will recognize

Alexi Charov, who performed with Ballet Miniature last winter, while Oscar

Hawkins is a new talent for local ballet lovers to fall in love with.

Alexi, 25, and Oscar, 21, arrived in Newtown last Wednesday, staying for just

five days, returning to Indianapolis on August 26. Alexi will return to

Newtown one week before the Nutcracker performances begin with Eldar Aliev and

Tatiana Pali, the artistic director and a principal dancer, respectively, also

of the Indianapolis-based company. Eldar returns this year to perform the role

of the Nutcracker, while Tatiana will again be performing the role of the

Sugar Plum Fairy. Both performed with Ballet Miniature last winter.

Oscar, meanwhile, will be back in Newtown two weeks before the performances

begin. His return is earlier than the other three dancers because he will use

the extra time to practice with the Newtown dancers.

Oscar and Alexi both plan on continuing their careers in dance for as long as

they can, although each knows how tough a live on stage can be. Alexi, who is

originally from Russia, has been dancing "[his] whole life," while Oscar, a

native of Brandywine, Md., decided to pursue the career five years ago.

"Both of my parents are doctors, and my father told me to quit, to go to

medical school," Alexi said last week after a session with dancers who were

studying in an intensive program with Marsha Mark this summer. "He told me to

forget it. I want to dance for a few more years at least, though," he firmly

stated.

Oscar's parental support was more positive, possibly because he came from an

artistic background: a singing family.

"My father didn't mind," he said last week. "He never really pressured me, he

was very supportive."

"The dancers [in Marsha Mark's school] all do their best," Oscar continued.

"They all work hard to achieve the best, and for me, it's something new, it's

a good experience."

The Marsha Ismailoff Mark School of Ballet will conduct open auditions to fill

the roles of angels, soldiers and adult partygoers for Act One of December's

production of The Nutcracker on Saturday, September 9, at Newtown

Congregational Church, 41A Main Street in Newtown, beginning at 3:30 pm. These

are the only roles that are open to non-school dancers, all others will be

filled by Ballet Miniature dancers, but the auditions are open to dancers of

all ages.