Kretzschmar as Sugarplum Fairy. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy NYCB
Nutcracker season starts today at many ballet companies, including New York City Ballet. For corps members like Claire Kretzschmar, that means an always demanding schedule reaches a whole new level of busy. Here's how she keeps herself going.
Kretzschmar in the Coffee variation. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy NYCB.
For many dancers, Thanksgiving signals the kickoff of Nutcracker performances. But right now—that is, the calm before the magical winter storm—is the perfect time to start planning your survival strategies. Though it's certainly important to think about how you'll fuel your body, stay rested and ward off injury and illness, it's also necessary to build in some fun. Try these four light-hearted ideas to help you power through a marathon of performances. Cheers!
Photo by Jordan Matter, via dancersamongus.com
Via zadiesmith.com
Start a book club with your fellow dancers. It'll give you something to discuss in the dressing room besides the daily tally of your aches and pains. (We recommend Zadie Smith's new novel, Swing Time. While it's not a book solely about dance, it tackles identity, race and class as it traces the lives of two women with divergent paths. Their common bond? Shared dance classes when they were young girls, both from poor families in London. Lovers of tap and old-fashioned movie musicals will also appreciate the references to the Nicholas Brothers and several of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' routines.)
Have a movie night—while you foam roll. Whether it's a cheesy holiday flick on cable or your favorite Christmas movie—like It's a Wonderful Life or A Charlie Brown Christmas—vegging in front of the tube is totally necessary during Nutcracker. If you're looking for dance-related fare, try these options:
— Hairspray LIVE! because who doesn't love a feel-good musical? Airs December 7 at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central on NBC.
— A Nutcracker Christmas, a Hallmark Channel original movie that's part love story, part ballet flick and stars former American Ballet Theatre soloist Sascha Radetsky and young phenom Sophia Lucia of "Dance Moms" fame. Premieres December 10 at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central on the Hallmark Channel. Click here for additional air times.
Via Getting to the Nutcracker
— Getting to the Nutcracker is worth a watch if you're looking for some inspiration. The documentary follows students at the Los Angeles–based Marat Daukayev Ballet Theatre from Nutcracker auditions to the final curtain call. Available to rent on Amazon or stream for free with Amazon Prime.
— George Balanchine's The Nutcracker brings a quintessential Nutcracker experience to your living room. New York City Ballet's version from 1993 features big names like Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel, Kyra Nichols and Wendy Whelan. Oh, and a little boy by the name of Macaulay Culkin. Available to rent on Amazon.
Be an audience member. On a night that you're not performing, reverse your role and sit in the house of another dance production. Whether you take a trip to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular or watch a friend in her company's Nutcracker, seeing another show will give you fresh perspective and help reawaken the magic of the season, especially if you're feeling rundown.
Angela Cranford/MSG Photos, courtesy MSG.
Pull out your apron and pre-heat the oven. Holiday baking isn't just delicious (warm cookies with gooey, melty chocolate...mmm), it can be therapeutic. Turn on some relaxing music, bake solo and surprise your company with treats. Or, schedule a free afternoon to bake with your dance friends. If you're stuck for recipes, try these three that the Rockettes shared with us.
Some dreams really do come true: This Thursday, September 8, you can be a fly on the wall in a rehearsal with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. And you don't even have to leave the house. From 11:30 am to 1:30 pm Central time (12:30 to 2:30 pm Eastern), Joffrey Ballet will present a live-streamed rehearsal of Wheeldon's brand-new Nutcracker. All you have to do is visit the company's YouTube channel during those hours.
Wheeldon in a recent Nutcracker rehearsal. Photo by Todd Rosenberg, Courtesy Joffrey Ballet.
While details about which sections of the ballet will be previewed are under wraps, we're excited to get a first glimpse at Wheeldon's take on the holiday classic, which will have its world premiere December 10–30. This won't be your typical Nutcracker, though. Wheeldon has transferred the ritzy tale to a more humble setting: Clara is replaced by Marie, the daughter of a poor immigrant family living in Chicago during the 1893 World's Fair. The company is working with a stellar production team, including puppeteer Basil Twist, who's no stranger to ballet. (He previously collaborated with Wheeldon on The Winter's Tale and Cinderella.)
Wheeldon with Amanda Assucena during a 2014 Swan Lake rehearsal. Photo by Cheryl Mann, Courtesy Joffrey Ballet.
This lunchtime livestream isn't the first time the company has given fans a behind-the-scenes look at a full length. In 2014, it presented a rehearsal when Wheeldon was remounting his Swan Lake. In anticipation of today's event, Joffrey Ballet dancer Amanda Assucena recalled her previous experience. "In the beginning we were all a little nervous and excited," she says. "If you mess it up, the whole world’s watching. It’s a little scary, but I think eventually I just forgot about it. The cameras try to stay out of our way." Now Assucena is learning several Nutcracker roles—Marie, her mother and the grand pas de deux—as Wheeldon crafts them.
In addition to the dancing, viewers will also be treated to an interview between artistic director Ashley Wheater and Wheeldon during a rehearsal break. Merry (very early) Christmas!
