by Dr. Elisabeth Pain | Dec 30, 2024 | Career, Company Life, Everything "Nutcracker", Pointe+
Growing up, when Gary Avis’s family went to the theater, it was very rarely with his sister. She had learning difficulties, he says, and “if you took my sister to a performance and she started making noises or started enjoying it or would stand up or clap at the wrong...
by Caroline Tonks | Dec 20, 2024 | Career, Company Life, Everything "Nutcracker", Onstage, Pointe+, The Latest
As English National Ballet debuts its new Nutcracker this month, the designs are taking center stage. Choreographed by artistic director Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith in honor of ENB’s 75th anniversary, this production is a visual feast, with sets and costumes by...
by Steve Sucato | Dec 18, 2024 | Everything "Nutcracker", Onstage, Profiles
One can safely say that Val Caniparoli has been one of the most prolific Nutcracker choreographers of this century. Since 2000, the San Francisco–based dancemaker, who is also a principal character artist with San Francisco Ballet, has created or co-created five new...
by Sophie Bress | Dec 2, 2024 | Everything "Nutcracker", News, Onstage, The Latest
Nutcracker season is important for every ballet company, but this year is especially momentous for Ballet West. Not only is the company celebrating 80 years of its version of the production, but the ballet was also named a “living historic landmark” by the State of...
by Amy Brandt | Nov 27, 2024 | Career, Company Life, Everything "Nutcracker", Pointe+, Training
It’s every dancer’s nightmare: You’re backstage, frantically wiggling out of one costume and throwing on the next. Your fingers are shaking so much that you can’t tuck your pointe shoe ribbons properly, or find the right row of hooks and eyes on your bodice. And where...
by Sarah McKenna Barry | Nov 25, 2024 | Career, Company Life, Everything "Nutcracker", Pointe+
Even to those on the periphery of the ballet world, The Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy is a familiar character. She appears on Christmas ornaments, wrapping paper, and on the pages of children’s storybooks. The celesta music that accompanies her variation is used in...
by Stav Ziv for Dance Magazine | Dec 21, 2023 | Everything "Nutcracker", News, Onstage, The Latest
How can we honor and preserve history without repeating the same mistakes over and over? How can we reimagine classics to center a variety of voices and speak to diverse audiences—not simply to avoid offending anyone, but to actively invite and include everyone? How...
by Sarah McKenna Barry | Dec 14, 2023 | Everything "Nutcracker", The Latest
As we inch closer to the holidays, ballet schools and companies around the world are gearing up for performances of Nutcracker. For many young dancers, this is their entry point into live performance. And, for a number of children in elite ballet schools, the next few...