Elsa Berry, performing as Clara in the Boulder Ballet’s Nutcracker, holds the Nutcracker aloft in admiration. (Courtesy of Amanda Tipton Photography)
For many people, watching Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” has been a cherished holiday tradition for decades. An evening at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Macky Auditorium allowed audience members to be swept away by the Boulder Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker,” which follows Clara as she goes on a magical adventure on Christmas Eve. But to dancers in the show, “The Nutcracker” is more than just one night: It is an entire season.
For the Boulder Ballet, their production is put together over the course of four very focused weeks of rehearsals, according to company member Jethro Payne.
“It is very intense, everyone is just focused on this one thing, but it is fun because you’re doing it together with the company,” said Payne, who plays three roles in this year’s Nutcracker: Clara’s father in the party scene, the Rat King and the Cavalier.
Payne has an unusual favorite during every show.
“I’d say that Rat King is my favorite, the most fun. You can just hide in the costume, go for it, and enjoy it,” he said.
The role of the Rat King is more silly than most of the other roles in the show, and Payne is able to embrace the acting while hidden in the Rat King costume that covers his entire face. However, he enjoys getting to play such different roles; one in a formal party setting, one an evil rat with an army of little dancing rats and the last – the Cavalier – a very technical and classical ballet role.
“Every role is challenging and fun in different ways,” he said.
Additionally, this show incorporates both Boulder Ballet’s academy dancers, who are under the age of 18, and members from their adult professional company. The most coveted position, the Sugar Plum Fairy, was performed by company member Morgan Rust, and Mother Ginger’s Children were performed by aspiring young ballerinas from the Boulder Ballet’s studio.
Ben Needham-Wood is the Boulder Ballet’s artistic director, and he gets to plan every show that Boulder Ballet will perform throughout the year, as well as choose the choreographers and dancers who will work to create every piece that is set on stage.
Needham-Wood described their yearly Nutcracker performance as a “circus,” because of how many pieces have to work together in order to put on a great performance. Regardless, he feels that “The Nutcracker” is a very special time, as audience members are able to see such a wide range of dancers in the same show.
“What I love about Nutcracker is the moment when you can see the connections between the youngest students in your school, and the senior company members and everyone in between,” he said.
For viewers, Nutcracker is only a part of their holiday traditions, but to the dancers who perform the show every year, Nutcracker season holds more significance in their hearts. The nature of repeating a show every year means that many dancers, by the time they are adults, have performed almost every role.
Left to right: Maddie Karimi, Peter Davison, Ellery Barge and Elsa Berry. Drosselmeyer, Clara’s godfather, presents her with the Nutcracker as a Christmas gift. (Courtesy of Amanda Tipton Photography)
The iconic music and classic dances are things that build camaraderie between dancers, no matter how long it has been since they have performed in a Nutcracker. This is not usually something that audience members get to experience, but Needham-Wood shares that it is one of his favorite parts.
“You can see the history and the legacy and the traditions that make this such a special art form,” he said of the interactions between all the different dancers in the show.
Even though Needham-Wood is no longer dancing professionally, he performed in many versions of “The Nutcracker” while growing up and was able to create his own memories and traditions.
Needham-Wood recalled watching the gymnast who frequently performed the “Russian” solo at his childhood studio.
“He would always do backflips and acrobatics,” he said. “Every time I hear that music, when people start to clap and everyone starts chanting along, I think about that time.”
The Nutcracker ballet is one full of memories and traditions for everyone involved. At the Boulder Ballet, they continue to share the joys of ballet with the Boulder community and create new loved memories.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Addisson Pribble at addisson.pribble@colorado.edu.
