Ballet creates magic on stage
Extravagant costumes, colorful scenery and beautiful choreography have combined to make magic at the Nutcracker Ballet at the Ellen Eccles Theater for each of the past 29 holiday seasons.
Cache Valley Civic Ballet (CVCB) will present the ballet for the 29th time Nov. 26, 27 and 29.
“The Nutcracker has been in production for 60 years, starting in 1950, and we have been doing it for almost 30,” said Sandra Emile, Cache Valley Civic Ballet’s artistic director.
The story of the Nutcracker starts when young Clara receives a toy nutcracker as gift. At night Clara sneaks out to the tree to visit her new gift. When the clock chimes midnight, the magic begins. Clara envisions a fantasy world where the Christmas tree and presents grow larger than life. With magical help from magicman Herr Drosselmeyer, the audience is taken along with Clara as she protects the Nutcracker Prince from the evil Mouse King, travels through a magical snow forest and visits the land of sweets.
“The magic of the Nutcracker is the brilliant blend of costumes, sets and choreography that whisks you away into Clara’s enchanting dream world filled with myriad surprises, enhanced by the most beloved and time-honored music of Tchaikovsky,” said Debbie Eskelson, president of Cache Valley Civic Ballet.
Eskelson said everyone should attend the ballet to experience the magic of the Nutcracker. She said the best part is to see the joy in the eyes of those who see the ballet.
The Nutcracker is one of the most attended and easiest ballets to understand, Emile said. She also said all the cast members are local this year, which is rare. Usually CVCB has to bring in dancers from other parts of Utah to fill the roles.
“We also have students and professors from USU involved with our production,” she said.
The Nutcracker will also have a live orchestra this year, directed by Dr. Mark Emile, a professor at USU.
Becky Erickson, who dances the Sugar Plum Fairy, said the Nutcracker is a great ballet to see because it gets you in the holiday season and can be a great Christmas tradition.
“Also, if boys want to win brownie points with their dates, bring them to the ballet. They will earn major points,” Erickson said.
To choose the dancers to be in the Nutcracker, CVCB holds auditions in August. The auditions are open to any serious dancers. The auditions consist of one hour, 20 minutes of bar and center work exercises. Selections are then made from those closed auditions Eskelson said.
The chosen dancers start practicing for the Nutcracker in September. Company members are required to attend two or more technical ballet classes each week in addition to a strength training class. They also go to company rehearsals on Saturdays. Company members typically spend the entire Saturday at the studio Eskelson said.
“Ballet it one of the hardest sports physically. Though it is hard you have to make it look really light and easy,” Erickson said.
Erickson said a runner can have their face be pulled in every direction, but dancers have to train their face to look pleasant while doing painful things. She said ballerinas have to have everything from the tip of their head down to their toes be pretty while dancing, which can be difficult while performing strenuous moves.
Erickson has done many different styles of dance, but said ballet is the hardest.
“I love ballet. It gets my heart pumping. It is in my blood but it is really challenging,” Erickson said.
Another hard thing ballerinas do, Erickson said, is they have to act while they are dancing. They have to make the audience believe the story through their actions since there is no talking in ballets.
“Though I don’t have the best feet, or the best turn out, I work with what I have and I try to bring the audience into the performance. I want them to feel like they are up on stage with me,” Erickson said.
The Nutcracker Ballet will be at the Ellen Eccles Theater at 43 S. Main, Nov. 26, 27 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 1:30 p.m. Tickets cost $8-$18 and students get 25 percent off. Contact Debbie Eskelson at 435-753-3633 for more information.
– chelsee.niebergall@aggiemail.usu.edu