Like a lot of little girls, I fell in love with ballet when I saw my first performance of The Nutcracker. Mostly, I fell in love with all the attention Clara got. Immediately after the show I tugged on my mothers arm and asked to take ballet classes. For the first two years of lessons I mostly daydreamed I was dancing the role of Clara, imagining a growing Christmas tree and pretending to hold a small Nutcracker doll during barre. My teacher was not amused. Eventually though, I got to dance the role of Clara, and let me tell you, the attention you get is pretty awesome. I like to think that it was my original experience with The Nutcracker that has helped me keep a fresh perspective on the ballet, and even though I’ve danced it for many years, I still look forward to performing it. I know so many dancers who involuntarily groan every time they hear the Waltz of the Flowers or the overture.

This is the first time I’ve danced in ARB’s Nutcracker, and like all the new company members, the first two weeks of rehearsals felt like a Nutcracker boot camp - I was seriously envious of returning company members who already knew the choreography! Unlike a lot of other classical ballets, The Nutcracker varies from company to company. Differences in choreography, musicality and even what the divertissements are called, (Merliton vs Marzipan, Candy Cane vs Russian/Trepak) are common. However, by the end of the run of shows, I’m almost positive I’ll know 75% of the parts, just from seeing them so often. Hopefully that will make next year easier!

Now that you have a glimpse into what its like rehearsing ARB’s Nutcracker you should definitely come see it! First weekend of shows is not far away! November 25th-27th at McCarter Theatre in Princeton. Hope to see you all in the audience!