Meghan Kelly, Reporter
@mkellycourant
It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. From holiday parties, Christmas tree decorating, gift giving, gift receiving, cookie baking, and spending time with family, people of all ages look forward to the holiday season. One of the most iconic Christmas traditions for families is going to see the Nutcracker ballet.
The New England Academy of Dance (NEAD) in New Canaan has been putting on its own production of the Nutcracker for years with student performers ranging in ages from preschool to highschool. The studio also brings even in multiple male leads who are professional dancers.
Although the show isn’t until mid-December, the process of choreographing and assigning roles begins in Late August with a boot camp where dancers have the ability to get back in shape and learn choreography. Auditions can be competitive and stressful on dancers, and learning choreography beforehand can both relieve stress and improve performance during the auditions. “The boot camp is a week-long opportunity for dancers to learn and work on the choreography before their audition date,” Ginna Ortiz, Co-Artistic Director of New England Academy of Dance and owner of the academy, said.
Some of the most iconic lead roles in the Nutcracker include Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Nutcracker itself, the Mouse King, the Cavalier, and the Snow Queen. Each year, these roles are chosen through an audition process. “The leads are chosen through a rigorous audition, which sometimes can take up to three days. Our most advanced students are the ones eligible to audition for these leading roles, and most have danced throughout the summer to keep in top shape. Then by a process of elimination, we choose the best person for the role,” Ginna said.
The New England Dance Academy puts on several shows each year, each with different versions and casts. “There are four full length shows and one children’s show, which is only act two. We also do many lecture demonstrations around the community, which are essentially mini Nutcrackers, at places like the Waveny Care Center and Stepping Stones Museum,” said senior Evelyn Slatoff, who played the Night Fairy, Marzipan flute, Party Scene Parent and Snowflake in the show.
All of these shows require many rehearsals, and after auditions in September, rehearsals begin right away. The amount of time a dancer spends rehearsing depends on their role. “This year I had about eight hour rehearsals a week but can sometimes have up to fifteen,” senior Alexa Banford, who played Sugar Plum Fairy, said.
Addie Cannon, who performed the roles of Clara, Snow, Party Scene Parent, and Flute, also reheased several hours per week. “On Saturdays, I am at the studio from around eleven thirty to six, and Sundays I am there from twelve to five. Rehearsals range from one to two hours per scene,” she said.
With all of these rehearsals, the choreographers are very busy during the fall season as there is work to do inside and outside of the studio. “The work is divided by the three directors at the academy, a board that works for and with our studio, and numerous parent volunteers,” Ginna said. “The only work within the studio really is the dancing. All other details, including publicity, costumes, props, lighting, and music, all are done outside of the studio.”
“The best part is at the theater. We are running solely off of excitement.”
Alexondra banford, ’23
Although the story line and choreography for the Nutcracker is relatively the same for the different studios and ballet companies that put on the show, every choreographer does their Nutcracker slightly differently in order to meet the needs of the dancers. “The process is definitely a formula,” Ginna said. “However, in the last two and a half years because of COVID restrictions, everything looked and felt different. Everyone involved with putting the show together had to think outside the box. There was a smaller cast, as well as a smaller theater, so we were forced to choreograph everything new to fit the new conditions. But this year, we returned to normal.”
Spending so much time together, in and out of rehearsals, the dancers in the Nutcracker inevitably form very strong bonds with both the studio and each other. “As a senior this is my last Nutcracker, so it has been bittersweet going through the process of rehearsals,” Evelyn said. “Since NEAD does the Nutcracker every year, it has been fun to remember all the different roles I’ve danced over the years.”
Addie’s favorite part of the Nutcracker season is connecting with her fellow dancers. “Spending time with everyone at ballet allows you to get super close with the other company girls as well as the younger girls at ballet,” she said. “This year I was also in charge of the rehearsals for our Party Scene, so I’ve gotten very close with a lot of the younger girls as well.”
