To ballet dancers, The Nutcracker is an important part of every season. For
me, this ballet is connected to a number of my first experiences in rehearsing
and performing -- all of which began with Ron and Carinne at The Sacramento
Ballet.
I
first performed in Ron’s production in 1997, when I was eight years old, as a
‘Mother Ginger’s Child.’ When I received the role, I was still a bit impartial
to the whole “performing” thing; two years prior I had forced my mom to promise
me that I would never go on stage again. Ever. However, my sister, Carolyn
Judson, had performed with Sac Ballet as Clara the year before, so I decided I
would try out, too.
As
soon as rehearsals began, my feelings about performing began to change. I
remember being in my first rehearsal with Ron and him explaining to the room of
8 year olds why we were dancing for Clara in the first place. He told us that
we weren’t just dancing to dance; with our movement, we were graciously
thanking her for saving our friend, the Nutcracker, and for bringing him back
to our land safely. I remember that I enjoyed getting to be a real character,
rather than just a person dancing on stage. For the following nine years that I
performed with the Sacramento Ballet (in The
Nutcracker, as well as other ballets), Ron continued to instill in me this
love of storytelling – how the audience cares most about the feelings you
portray to them…those feelings are why they are watching you dance in the first
place
Today,
after 6 seasons with the Houston Ballet, I’ve been lucky to perform as a number
of different characters: the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, a Neapolitan Princess,
and a swan, to name a few. And still, I go back to what Ron told us in that
rehearsal 15 years ago. I’ve learned to appreciate the artist that can not only
be a great technician, but, more importantly, show the story or feeling that
needs to be expressed to the audience. My belief in what creates a great artist
stems from my experiences with Ron; I try to be that artist every day I dance.
Thank
you, Ron, for all of the wonderful memories I’ve had in growing up with the Sacramento
Ballet. Congratulations on 25 incredible years!
Love, Elise Judson
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