Fine Arts
Bars/Clubs
Dining
Music
Movies
Literature
Fitness
Recreation
Attractions
Community
Professionals
Bright Idea: [Post a review for your favorite (or not so favorite) establishment or local band]
By CategoryThe Nutcracker is Coming
Printer-Friendly Version | Email This Article
The Nutcracker is comingTa Dum, Ta Dum
2005-11-30
Article Written by: Charles Griffin
The Nutcracker Ballet is a Christmas staple. Every year, both near and far, this masterpiece is performed by hordes of dancing children—mostly girls—and a few talented and/or interested adults. In the Volusia area alone, you can find a variety of choices ranging from a jazz version in DeLand to a full-bore, big-name ballet performance in Orlando, but at least there remains one local constant each year.
The Civic Ballet of Volusia County is a combined effort of dance enthusiasts, dance studios, parents and volunteers, and for the past 20 years, they have been dedicated to just one thing year after year: The Nutcracker. This year the production is labeled The Nutcracker 2005, and it will be performed at Peabody Auditorium, 600 Auditorium Ave., in Daytona Beach.
There will be two performances, which will take place on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11 at 2:00 p.m., but there will be differences in the presentations. The Saturday performance will be specially tailored for children, as it will be narrated and slightly shortened. For an extra cost, there will be a Sugar Plum Tea following. The longer version will take place on Sunday, and it will not have narration. In addition, there will be two featured dancers from the Atlanta Festival Ballet, Giselle DiBlasi and Patrick Turner performing.
Tickets are available through Seaside Music Theatre by calling 386.252.6200 and range in cost from $15.00 to $25.00, depending on age, show and options. The Sugar Plum Shop will be open in the Peabody lobby for Nutcracker-related gift items and souvenirs, and the proceeds from both ticket sales and shop purchases help to pay for the costs of the production, including the maintenance of the props and costumes and the preparation for the next season’s production. It is a never-ending task, but one filled with dedication and love on the part of those involved.
“There are 86 dancers from area studios,” said Ellen Sperber, the Executive Director of the Civic Ballet, “and about 20 people working behind the scenes on props and costumes.”
According to Sperber, once the production is over for this year, the cycle will begin again in February or March with meetings to plan the next performance. Auditions are in August and the cast is announced in September. Rehearsals begin shortly afterward and continue up to the night before the first performance.
Many patrons each year enjoy the public performances, but few ever get a look at the preparation and constant work that goes into bringing The Nutcracker to the stage. It is a special type of magic that only those behind the scenes can truly appreciate. For instance, Sperber was rather proud of the Civic Ballet’s traditional nutcracker costume. 
“It used to have a label showing that it was made in Berlin, Germany,” she said. “The jacket is at least 50 years old, maybe 60.”
The military dress tunic came to Florida in 1977 with Nutcracker Ballet Mistress and Choreographer Germaine Bledsoe and her mother, Hanne Lore “Lori” Smoak. Both danced in Germany, Smoak with the Munich Opera Ballet and Bledsoe with the Berlin Opera Ballet. Today, they operate the European School of Performing Arts, the host studio for The Nutcracker’s rehearsals. “Before we left Germany,” said Bledsoe, “we bought the Nutcracker jacket when the Berlin company sold off its older costumes.”
Another prized piece, a dragon costume—popular in celebrations and parades in China—came to the company because one fan of the Civic Ballet was in the merchant marine, and he brought an authentic version home for the ballet, according to Sperber.
The Nutcracker is unique in its appeal to younger audiences, so it’s only logical that children from local dance companies perform the majority of the roles. The Volusia Civic Ballet auditions children as young as eight, and because girls are more likely to take dance lessons in America, most of the parts are played by girls. This year, there is one boy among 85 girls. One mom joked that he is a triplet and came as a set with his sisters.
Without doubt, attending a rehearsal for such a production is a daunting task. There are little girls everywhere, and it’s difficult to move about without fear of stepping on them—or them stepping on a visitor. In the main studio, you must keep as close to the walls as possible and beware of flying feet and flying dancers.
Also, a rehearsal is, by definition, an attempt to get things as close to right as possible, and this is not necessarily a pretty sight. Upon seeing that photographs were being taken of dancers wearing old shoes and torn tights, the ballet mistress urged the girls to come to rehearsal in appropriate attire. Of course photographers everywhere love the grittier aspects of the theater and aesthetic appeal in old shoes and worn dance outfits.
The Nutcracker is a winnowing process. Throughout America and around the world, small children see the performance and envision themselves as part of the magic on the stage. Some of those children then go on to take dance lessons, and then they go on to audition. Eventually, they perform in the show, and as the years pass and their abilities mature, the available roles become bigger and the potential stages grow greater. At the same time, there are those for whom it remains a part-time passion instead of a profession. In the end, each aspect joins together to form a treasure such as the Volusia Civic Ballet. Children perform, former professional dancers go on to become teachers, and amateurs become parents and volunteers. All participate in keeping the cycle alive. “A labor of love,” as Sperber calls it.
WHD will review the show, but it is well worth your time and money to attend. Words and pictures cannot compare to the real thing.
More information about Peabody Auditorium
