The best way to spark Christmas cheer is watching The Nutcracker year after year. The Nutcracker is a well-loved ballet that is performed in two acts. It tells the magical Christmas story of how Clara’s toy, a nutcracker, comes to life after she expresses her desire for the toy to come alive, which begins her journey where she later battles the Rat King and wanders on to the Land of Sweets. Upon her arrival, Clara is greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy with a grand celebration and here, several famous pieces of music written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are heard by the audience.
The most renowned numbers in this act include “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” “Waltz of the Flowers,” and “Pas de Deux.” These pieces are cherished by many for their unique sound, iconic choreography that highlights the dancers technical brilliance, and overall phenomenal visuals that showcase creative costumes while providing a dramatic and whimsical story. The performance is a famous holiday tradition which explores the dreams and wonders of childhood.
At Hayfield Secondary School, there is a wide range of students who participated in The Nutcracker performance at Metropolitan School of the Arts. But what is it like being a part of this production behind the scenes?
“Nutcracker is a ballet show you’ll never forget. It’s very memorable for the people who are about to graduate and for people who are just coming in. It’s like a really good experience, and they’ll never regret it,” senior Kelly See said.
See has been doing ballet for the past 13 years. Out of all performances, The Nutcracker is what she looks forward to most each year as she considers it an iconic ballet that is in production just in time for Christmas. This is going to be her last year being a part of the production.
“This year, I’m the Arabian soloist. I’m also in snow, which is just the corp. I’m really happy about these two roles because it’s my senior year, and I’ve worked so hard to prepare for a soloist role, and it’s finally showing,” See said.
As someone who has been a part of ballet for years, See is an ideal person to come to for advice regarding preparation for the production.
“Give it your all, starting from the audition, you want to impress the teacher, so they’ll keep an eye on you, and once you have more experience, they’re going to keep remembering you. Then it’s just gonna be more of an easy flow when you’re in the art industry, especially for dance,” See said.
Another dancer, sophomore Angela Gray has been participating in the nutcracker performance for a total of 10 years.
“I think The Nutcracker is really fun but it is also a lot of work. It is also a big time commitment, you need to show that you are really eager about ballet and performing because the teachers aren’t scared to yell at you or critique you. So being able to take critiques and have a good presence and ballet technique is important,” Gray said
This year, Gray is playing multiple characters. She will be performing as the maid and Arabian Attendant but she is especially looking forward to portraying the role as the maid.
“Yes, I am really excited for my role as the maid because it is a lot of acting, character work and also dancing.” Gray said.
One struggle that comes with being a part of such a demanding process is the amount of work that goes into it. Senior Emily Johnson shared insights into her experiences juggling school, ballet, and making sure she doesn’t get injured. While the end product is rewarding, it entails a lot of commitment which she advises people to take into consideration when auditioning.
“I think that Nutcracker is a lot of work and commitment and it’s a lot to do right before the holiday season. You really are working right up until christmas time. You can’t really relax during Thanksgiving break, you have to be dialed in, listening to your choreography, keeping up with your training, and your conditioning. So it’s definitely not something that I recommend to everyone but if you’re up for it, I definitely think it’s worth it,” Johnson said.
The commitment of being a part of the performance begins long before opening night. It all starts with the intense audition process in place to put each dancer where they best fit.
“The audition process was, I would say, two to two and a half hours of just doing a bunch of different combinations. Our studio really believes in doing all the parts and then seeing which one really resonates with each person and then we will be called back to do certain ones depending on what they want you for,“ Johnson said.
Johnson is not the only one who faced challenges during this highly taxing process; senior Taylor Jordan suffered an injury amidst rehearsing which placed a bigger physical strain on herself throughout her preparation for the performance.
“I sprained my ankle during the rehearsal process so I am in a boot and it’s kinda difficult to rehearse in the boot. [Also] just balancing with my other classes and my other show rehearsals as well and school work can be kinda challenging. But it’s rewarding in the end,” Jordan said.
Although Jordan sustained an injury to her ankle, she is doing her best to balance that, among other things, and is still grateful for the experience. At the end of the day, she wants everyone to remember;
“Just have fun, live in the moment, and don’t take it too seriously. Make sure you review all of your choreography so when you get there you’re not stressed out so you can just enjoy yourself,” Jordan said.
