Nutcracker

[Trying_to_improve]

Hi all

 

We started rehearsing for you Nutcracker season 4 weeks ago, and I think we're pretty early (we've got our first show November 1t7h).

 

Has anyone else started rehearsing yet , or been given their parts?

 

This year I'm rat king, snow and chinese, and understudy doll and russian.

 

I'm having so much fun with the rat king, all that sword fighting and getting to be evil.

[Treefrog]

Rehearsals start for us next week.

 

We only dance as parents in the party scene. This is my sixth year or thereabouts, so I have it down pretty well by now. It will be my second year playing the beloved-but-slightly-daffy Auntie, so I'll get to embellish my acting a bit.

[irishprincess]

Last year, I was an angel....this year, I'm Clara's mom! Weee!

[Blanche]

DD#1 is Clara's bratty sister in party scene this year, so I've been cast as the maid...obvious type-casting (for me, anyway)!

[MJ]

Party Parent #3, just like last year. I"m performing in Beauty with a differnt company for the next few weeks, so no Nutz until late November, I Know may part very well.

[DancinFeet]

Removed by Moderator.

 

Would Teen members of Ballet Talk for Dancers respect the board rules and NOT post in the Adult Students Buddy Board, please.

[Guest Ariana]

DD is snow, flower, spanish, arabian, mouse lead and chineese solo understudy. She has been Clara last year and it was lots of fun.

[appleblossom]

Can someone please explain the nutcracker thing to me? Being in Australia I read all about nutcracker parts every year, and it makes it sound like every ballet school in America does the Nutcracker every year at Christmas time, is that true? Do you do variety recitals too? What about other ballets?

[rockymtndancer]

This whole ubiquitous Nutcracker thing is kind of a surprise to me too. When I was dancing as a kid, only the professional companies and civic ballets put on the Nutcracker, and we usually had a summer concert (and occasionally a Christmas concert.) Now, it does seem like all of the pre-pro schools and every company in the area is putting on a Nutcracker, but I have noticed a lot of schools are doing their performances in late November/early December.

 

There are some schools here who also do full-length ballets twice a year, and all of them have at least one yearly performance (what you would call variety recitals) in addition to Nut.

 

On the other hand, I am in an open program that has no performance opportunities, so if I wanted to perform (which right now I don't) I would have to audition for one of the civic productions or the schools that hold open calls.

[irishprincess]

The studio I am currently at performs a Christmas recital every other year, and "The Nutcracker" on the off year.

 

I think the reason "Everyone" performs the Nutcracker is it's a ballet that pretty much everyone can handle. Not to downplay it...I think it's a wonderful ballet with extreme amounts of difficulty -if directed as such-. But it can so easily insert children, lower level classes, and introduce beginning company members or pre-professional dancers to partnering, soloing, and the like. It's a wonderful learning experience, and it gets the parents and students excited about something. Their first year, they're a Snow dancer....but they could maybe work their way up to Clara, or the Sugar Plum Fairy, or whatever. Other ballets just don't seem to have that sort of flexibility.

 

My opinion only, of course.....but as a teacher, it just seems like a good opportunity that gets everyone in the Christmas spirit.

[shea]

I can only dream of maybe someday being good enough to play a small, tiny, bity part in the nutcracker.

[Treefrog]

Nonsense! Are you in/near Chicago? You are welcome to come join our party scene. We find room for almost anyone who wants to dance. No experience required; the hardest thing we do is a polka with turns. Most of the adults are parents from the ballet studio who have never taken a ballet lesson in their life. It's fun to put on a fancy dress (ours come from thrift stores) or tux and pretend to sip champagne.

[dancingmeghan]

Edited by Moderator.

 

Teens should not post in the Adult Students forum.

[Trying_to_improve]

How exiting Dancingmeghan!

Congratulations

[appleblossom]

Nonsense! Are you in/near Chicago? You are welcome to come join our party scene. We find room for almost anyone who wants to dance. No experience required; the hardest thing we do is a polka with turns. Most of the adults are parents from the ballet studio who have never taken a ballet lesson in their life. It's fun to put on a fancy dress (ours come from thrift stores) or tux and pretend to sip champagne.

 

 

I can see im gonna have to plan to be in chigaco some year near christmas time.

 

Well it all sounds fabulous. I would love to do a "real ballet" one year.