Starting at the Victoria Theatre and then transferring to the Schuster Center in 2003, The Nutcracker has been a hit and sold out many shows throughout its 12 year run.
Co-Director of Dayton Ballet II Gabrielle Sharp explained that the Dayton Ballet remakes the Nutcracker every 10 years, this year being the third. They remake it with new costumes, new scenery and new choreography.
Those who find an appreciation in the arts and are fond of music and ballet will enjoy The Nutcracker.
“The battle scene is probably really enjoyable for the boys in the audience, and every little girl loves Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy. So I think it’s a great ballet for all ages and there are plenty of beautiful sections to enjoy,” Sharp said.
Many families make it a tradition to go each year for the holidays and to get in the Christmas spirit.
“Being transported into the magical world of the Nutcracker, letting them forget about their outside life, worries and stress for a few hours,” Bailey Olean, a Wright State student and performer in The Nutcracker, said.
Wright State student Katie Jenkins, 21, explained that she and her mother have been going to The Nutcracker for 14 years now, starting when she was 6 years old.
“It’s something special that the two of us look forward to doing. We’ll go to The Nutcracker and then go get dinner afterwards,” Jenkins said.
“The Nutcracker is a holiday classic, so it’s nice to share a tradition with so many families who come out to see the ballet. Even though it’s the same storyline and choreography each year, there’s always new magic,” Sharp said.
That magic isn’t just for the audience but it’s also for the dancers performing on stage.
“Being on such an amazing stage at the Schuster; there’s something magical about performing in a theatre with three balconies filed with thousands of people,” Olean said.
Olean performed as a rat in the ballet and said that it was nerve wracking; the stakes are high in a ballet of this caliber but he thinks that is the part that makes it more fun. Olean said that “the performances are the easy part.”
In the Nutcracker the audience is transported with Clara through her dreams of frightening rats and her Nutcracker coming to life along with the Snow Queen and King and the Sugar Plum Fairy.
This nutcracker is a special present given to her for Christmas by her magical and charming Uncle Drosselmeyer.
But all of this is for the audience to see and to discover the magic with their loved ones.
Now that their shows are over for this season, there is plenty of time to plan and get tickets for next year to take friends and family and create a new tradition.
