BRATTLEBORO-For the 12th time in almost 24 years, Brattleboro School of Dance presents The Nutcracker ballet this weekend.
"The Nutcracker is one of those iconic ballets that has charmed and uplifted audiences across North America seemingly since we can remember," Bridget Struthers, the school's director said in a recent phone call with The Commons.
"Just a few bars from Tchaikovsky's luscious score immediately transport us by a moment of nostalgia to a place where we can see, hear, taste, and feel the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, full of dancing sweets and blooming flowers," she added.
Struthers explained that when it premiered in 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, this ballet was considered a massive flop.
"The libretto, by Lev Ivanov, was characterized as straying too far from the original story on which the ballet is based, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, by E.T.A. Hoffmann," she added.
"The choreography by Marius Petipa was seen as 'confusing, amateurish, and ungraceful.' Audiences and critics bemoaned the fact that this ballet featured so many children, with professional dancers gracing only the featured roles in the second act," noted Struthers.
"Ironically, it is precisely because this ballet features children that we find so much joy in it today," she added.
It seems that Tchaikovsky's score was the saving grace.
"Due to its beauty and diversity, it inspired the resurrection of the ballet by a few leading companies, including the San Francisco Ballet and New York City Ballet, with tweaks and updates to make it one of the most beloved and festive ballets of all time," Struthers said. "By the 1960s, The Nutcracker was a holiday staple for American audiences - and it has been ever since."
Challenging dancers in new ways, in new roles
Struthers noted that as the BSD continues the tradition of The Nutcracker this season, the school is working to make this a magical experience for all.
"While it is sadly rare to have many male dancers in our small town, when we do it can be tricky to keep challenging them in new ways and new roles," she said.
This year, one male student, Henry Wolf, 12, "is in a level where all of his peers were cast in "Waltz of the Snowflakes," the last scene in the first act.
"This year he will be dancing alongside his female peers, with a new costume specifically designed for him by Kathi [Keller, BSD founder and costume director]. This costume is new this year and will hopefully be just the beginning of a shift to include dancers no matter their gender."
In addition to the dancers from the BSD community, "we are blessed with truly standout professional dancers who are gracing this year's production with their artistic virtuosity and elegant beauty," Struthers said.
She noted that the collaboration will create "an environment where we can see where we came from and where we are going."
Among the cast:
• Nan Mann, director of Brattleboro Centre for Children, is a BSD choreographer and teacher. She plays the role of Grandmother as well as Mother Ginger, the woman with a giant skirt, out from which jump little polichinelles (clowns).
• Arlie Hart, a circus arts instructor and entrepreneur as well as a psychologist, will reprise the role of Drosselmeyer for the fourth time.
• Holly Johnson, longtime teacher and choreographer at BSD, will dance the role of a maid in the Party Scene. Johnson is also the co-artistic director of The Nutcracker and has been "indispensable to this production," Struthers says.
• Serenity Wolf, a local engineer and partner at Stevens & Associates (and Henry Wolf's mother), will also dance the role of a maid next to Johnson.
• Carl Wolf, brother of Henry and son of Serenity, plays the part of Mr. Stahlbaum.
• Rebecca Mayer, a manager at the Brattleboro Food Co-op, will dance the role of Mrs. Stahlbaum. Two of her daughters, Opal and Zinnia, are also dancing in the show.
• Sequoyah Stevens-Mills, alum of BSD and now a teacher and choreographer, is also a professional guest dancer, dancing the part of Arabian Coffee.
• Olive Fleming, a junior at BUHS, has been stepping into teaching and choreographing roles at BSD this past year. She will be dancing the part of Dewdrop Fairy, among others. She is the choreographer of the Chinese Tea and Dragon dance in the second act.
• Diana Webb, a BUHS junior, has also been stepping into teaching and choreography roles at BSD this past year. She will be dancing the part of Snow Queen, among others.
• Mariam Diallo, also a junior at BUHS, will be dancing the title role of The Nutcracker this year, among others. She is widely known in the community for her voice and for her academic and creative prowess.
• Katy Hughes, another alum of BSD who has danced the role of the Nutcracker, has done the artwork for our posters and programs this year.
Dance for all
One of BSD's principles is that dance should be available to everybody no matter what their economic status. "Most of the proceeds from all of our shows go specifically to our scholarship fund," added Struthers.
The importance of the more than 100 costumes worn in the show cannot be overstated.
"The costumes are a testament to the hard work and dedication each and every person who wears them has achieved," she said. "Though they are inanimate, slightly sweaty, slightly stiff, and needing adjustments, they are living and breathing once donned by a dancer.
"This is very much like the ballet itself," said Struthers.
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Brattleboro School of Dance presents "The Nutcracker" on Friday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 15th at 2 p.m. All performances take place at Brattleboro Union High School's Auditorium, 131 Fairground Rd.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit brattleboroschoolofdance.com.
This Arts item by Victoria Chertok was written for The Commons.