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...
by Rachel Fine, MS, RD, CSSD, CDN, CEDS-C | Dec 12, 2023 | Health & Body, Nutrition, Pointe+, Wellness
After giving your all onstage, it’s time to replenish your body with the nutrients it needs to recover. But for many ballet dancers, nutrition takes a backseat after the curtain goes down. Long commutes, work, or homework often get in the way of a dancer’s ability to...
by Steve Sucato | Dec 8, 2023 | News, Onstage, The Latest
’Tis the season for Nutcracker, and that includes new productions. This month, Milwaukee Ballet and Orlando Ballet each present world premieres that reimagine the holiday ballet’s magical journey with a mix of tradition, cultural sensitivity, and imagination.Milwaukee...
by Kyra Laubacher | Nov 28, 2023 | News, Onstage, The Latest
Nutcracker—we could dance it with our eyes closed and hum its score the whole way through. But despite being the certifiable staple of ballet holiday repertoire, traditional Nutcrackers aren’t the only programs hitting the stage this month. The 2023 winter season has...
by Kirsten Evans | Nov 21, 2023 | Career, Company Life, Everything "Nutcracker", Pointe+
Each November, when most of the country is slowing down in preparation for Thanksgiving, ballet dancers are ramping up for their busiest time of the year: Nutcracker season. But with notoriously intense rehearsal schedules eating up precious time and energy, it can be...