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| Carinne Binda Cunningham |
Tonight is opening night of the Nutcracker
and all day I have been thinking how special the many weeks that we have spent
preparing this magical production. For the casts of children it begins in
September with auditions and the first rehearsals. For the company dancers it
begins late October or early November. By mid-November the children begin
rehearsing with the company dancers and that is always a thrilling experience.
By December we are in the theater, first on a bare stage and within 3 1/2 days
performing with scenery, lights, costumes, thanks to our outstanding and
dedicated theater crew and the many dozens of volunteers that seem to love the Nutcracker
as much as Ron and I do. Yesterday morning we did our first performance at 10am
for over 2000 young school children and that is always a very special
show. The theater is electric with excitement. There is a true
feeling of wonderment and joy that is palpable with all those beaming young
faces in the audience. Yes, it is hard for dancers to arrive at the
theater, many by 7am to prepare for class, then a last minute practice on
stage, putting on stage make up, preparing hair, getting into costume, and a
myriad of other tasks before taking that first step on stage, but once the
dancers hear the cheers from the children in the audience, they forget how
early they had to wake up and remember why they love to dance.
Nutcracker is a finely tuned and efficient "machine" at the Sacramento Ballet, always running smoothly with problems easily solved even when they catch us by surprise. For the dancers, it is the one ballet they return to year after year, sometimes dancing the same roles or acquiring new roles. This year it has been a joy to see so many of our seasoned dancers blossom with new artistry and our new dancers learning the process and thriving in such a short amount of time. We have so many outstanding casts in multiple roles that keep this production feeling fresh at every performance.
My Nutcracker memories began over 45 years ago when the National Ballet of Washington D.C was mounting a new production. I was a Party Child and the following year Clara. I can remember much of it as if it were yesterday because of that child-like sense of wonder I had for everyone and everything. The company was directed by the extraordinary Ballet Russe dancer, Frederic Franklin and he brought in the legendary Alexandra Danilova to work with the children. He, with his charming English accent and she, with her Russian accent had both been famous stars in the ballet world and were now passing on their tradition to a group of ten year old children. There was such an aura in the studio, we were all spellbound. Everything was important. Soon we began rehearsals with the professional dancers who had such a large influence on me at the time. I can still remember most of their names. The dancers appeared so casual in their tattered practice clothes, yet the moment they performed a dance sequence they took on the most extraordinary elegance. I remember so vividly how their skin glistened (I realized only later that their "sweat" was due to such hard physicality). We went on tour (a one hour trip) to perform in Baltimore. At the theater rehearsals, I remember running all over the balcony to watch the dancers from every angle.
In that production, Clara sits at the feet of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier through most of Act 2. There I was sitting at the feet of my idols, the sublime Sonia Arova, Andrea Vodehnal, and Roni Mahler. They were all true ballerinas, they didn't just dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, they were the Sugar Plum Fairy. As every ten year old girl falls in love with her prince, I fell in love with Ivan Nagy, an amazing Hungarian dancer. The experience was magic and I began to understand the power of dance that continues to fuel my life every day.
Years later I began my professional career at the Boston Ballet and, as chance would have it, my Ballet Master was James Capp, one of the friendliest of the National Ballet of Washington dancers when I was a child. I always loved watching him dance the Chinese Divertissment. Much to my delight, I would meet Ivan Nagy again in Paris. This time I was the Artistic Director of the Sacramento Ballet coaching our beautiful couple, Nina Baratova and Charles Torres, who were competing at the Paris International Dance Competition in 1992. I truly love the Nutcracker and all the lives it connects through generations.
We open tonight, don't miss this holiday delight.
Carinne Binda
Nutcracker is a finely tuned and efficient "machine" at the Sacramento Ballet, always running smoothly with problems easily solved even when they catch us by surprise. For the dancers, it is the one ballet they return to year after year, sometimes dancing the same roles or acquiring new roles. This year it has been a joy to see so many of our seasoned dancers blossom with new artistry and our new dancers learning the process and thriving in such a short amount of time. We have so many outstanding casts in multiple roles that keep this production feeling fresh at every performance.
My Nutcracker memories began over 45 years ago when the National Ballet of Washington D.C was mounting a new production. I was a Party Child and the following year Clara. I can remember much of it as if it were yesterday because of that child-like sense of wonder I had for everyone and everything. The company was directed by the extraordinary Ballet Russe dancer, Frederic Franklin and he brought in the legendary Alexandra Danilova to work with the children. He, with his charming English accent and she, with her Russian accent had both been famous stars in the ballet world and were now passing on their tradition to a group of ten year old children. There was such an aura in the studio, we were all spellbound. Everything was important. Soon we began rehearsals with the professional dancers who had such a large influence on me at the time. I can still remember most of their names. The dancers appeared so casual in their tattered practice clothes, yet the moment they performed a dance sequence they took on the most extraordinary elegance. I remember so vividly how their skin glistened (I realized only later that their "sweat" was due to such hard physicality). We went on tour (a one hour trip) to perform in Baltimore. At the theater rehearsals, I remember running all over the balcony to watch the dancers from every angle.
In that production, Clara sits at the feet of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier through most of Act 2. There I was sitting at the feet of my idols, the sublime Sonia Arova, Andrea Vodehnal, and Roni Mahler. They were all true ballerinas, they didn't just dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, they were the Sugar Plum Fairy. As every ten year old girl falls in love with her prince, I fell in love with Ivan Nagy, an amazing Hungarian dancer. The experience was magic and I began to understand the power of dance that continues to fuel my life every day.
Years later I began my professional career at the Boston Ballet and, as chance would have it, my Ballet Master was James Capp, one of the friendliest of the National Ballet of Washington dancers when I was a child. I always loved watching him dance the Chinese Divertissment. Much to my delight, I would meet Ivan Nagy again in Paris. This time I was the Artistic Director of the Sacramento Ballet coaching our beautiful couple, Nina Baratova and Charles Torres, who were competing at the Paris International Dance Competition in 1992. I truly love the Nutcracker and all the lives it connects through generations.
We open tonight, don't miss this holiday delight.
Carinne Binda
Dear Carinne,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your memories of when we were in the National Ballet's Nutcracker. Remember when we were allowed (or did we sneak in) to take class with the company in Baltimore? I remember after dutifully marching around for a few eight counts and "dying" as a toy soldier in the first act I would rush to change clothes and hide in the wings to hang on every step of the second act (until I got caught and opted for the balcony too). What a magical time that was! It fills my heart to hear that you are continuing the tradition in your productions.
I have thought of you and your mother often through the years -- especially recently as I purchase tickets to see my niece, Sarah Wroth, perform with the Boston Ballet at the Kennedy Center this June.
Wishing you continued happiness and success,
Karen Cramer Nicholson