LA Dance Presents: THE NUTCRACKER
December 3rd, 2022
Original Art by Kathi Dugan, dance Workshop of Hanover
Contributors
Carmen Wade Artistic Director Marius Peptipa, Lev Ivanov, Iacob Lascu, Carmen Wade ChoreographersLaura
Farrell Producer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ComposerNicole
Neff Ballet Master Colleen Bruderick Rehearsal Director Marina Aiken Backstage Coordinator Chris O’Meara Stage Manager Koerner Costume DesignChrista
Special thanks…
This production could not have taken place without the help from our many parent volunteers, students and staff members.
We hope you enjoy this holiday classic as it sweeps you into the magical world of dance and is a joyful beginning to the season.
The Story of the Nutcracker
ACT I
Our story begins in a home where a young girl named Clara and her brother Fritz are eagerly waiting the arrival of their guests for their annual Christmas Eve Party Families begin to arrive and there is an excitement in the air as the children open presents and parents dance around the ball room. Suddenly, Herr Drosselmeyer, Clara’s mysterious Godfather, arrives and all fall silent The children fear him, so he presents one final gift, of whom he chooses his goddaughter Clara as the recipient. It is a nutcracker doll. Clara couldn’t have been more thrilled with it. Fritz, jealous of her special present, takes the nutcracker away from her and breaks it. Clara quickly shows Drosselmeyer what Fritz has done so he wraps a handkerchief around his head to mend him The party resumes with dances until the children fall fast asleep.
The Stahlbaum’s bid their guests a goodnight as they depart, then send their own children off to bed Clara, unable to sleep, sneaks downstairs to be with her nutcracker. Now content with him in her arms, she falls asleep, not even awakening to Drosselmeyer casting a spell to shrink her She is awoken by a noise and discovers that it came from a group of mice who now seem just as big as her! Helpless, the mice steal the precious nutcracker away from Clara. Dorsselmeyer happens upon the scene and with his mysterious ways, presents to her a now alive nutcracker She is only able to enjoy him for a moment before the mice return, this time, their evil Mouse Queen ahead of the charge. Luckily, a band of toy soldiers have also come to life and a fierce battle commences.
The Nutcracker fights bravely but is stricken by the Mouse Queen before Clara knocks her over the head with her pointe shoe. As the mice carry their fallen leader away, Clara and the soldiers stand over their own fallen hero. Clara weeps for the loss of her nutcracker until Drosselmeyer returns and magically transforms the doll into a prince! Rejoicing, Clara and her new Prince take a magical sleigh into the Forest of Snow, where dancing snowflakes lead the way into the Land of Sweets.
ACT II
INTERMISSION
Once ferried across the Forest of Snow, a herald of angels and the Sugar Plum Fairy appear to lead the way for young Clara and her Prince to enter the magical Land of Sweets. There, a group oof character greet the new guests while the Nutcracker retells his and Clara’s heroics in defeating the wretched Mouse Queen The residents rejoice upon hearing that the evil foe has been vanquished and bestow Clara with a crown before showing her the rest of their kingdom.
She is given marvelous gifts during her visit including chocolates (Spanish), coffee (Arabian), and tea (Chinese). In her next stops, she witnesses the incredible dance, Trepak, a fast-paced folk dance performed by the Russian and the whimsical frolic of shepherds and their sheep. She also encounters a troupe of dancing candy canes who seem to like nothing more than to laugh and play in whimsy In her final stop, she finds herself catching a glimpse of a group of dancing flowers, who flitter around her with their daintiness. As a final farewell, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier perform a breathtaking pas de deux in Clara’s honor
The characters bid Clara a final farewell as her journey comes to an end and Drosselmeyer suddenly appears. He casts a spell to put Clara to sleep and when she wakes up, she finds herself somehow back in her living room with her nutcracker laying beside her. She looks around, hoping to see any leftover evidence of her journey and touches her head to find her crown still there.
Did she really travel into a magical world or was it all a dream?
featured Artists
Sila Elitok, Clara Sila was born September 26th, 2010 in Hamburg, Germany as the st child of Ali and Secil. She moved to Istanbul, Turkey in 2012 with her family, where she started ballet lessons. The Elitok family moved to Michigan in 2016 and she continued to dance and do gymnastics.
At age 9, she published a picture book “Trampoline Friendship”, which has since sold more than 400 copies across 7 countries in both hard copy and Amazon Kindle Book.
Sila has been with LA Dance for almost 5 years and enjoys competitive ballet, tap and jazz. Besides dance, she has been working on her 2nd book while enjoying her other hobbies including skiing, wind surfing and hanging out with friends. She likes traveling with her father and brother Kerem, and they currently have plans to travel worldwide. She plans on continuing her passion for dance while working on academic goals.
Alonzo Dock (Guest Artist), The Nutcracker Alonzo, age 15, enjoys many passions including music, fashion, sewing, track and dance.
Alonzo has performed across the Detroit area while a member of the choir at Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences (DAAS). During his time at DAAS, the choir won a Michigan Grammy and produced the video “One Nation Under a Groove” which reached over one million viewers on YouTube.
A current student at Henry Ford Academy High School, Alonzo has earned many track accomplishments including qualifying for the junior Olympics in his first year of training with New Breed Track Team.
Although Alonzo began showing an interest in dance at a young age, he didn’t begin formal training until the age of 13 when he enrolled at STARS Elite Training Center. Since entering the competitive dance scene in 2021, Alonzo’s solo performances have been undefeated at the national level, and he has earned thousands of dollars in scholarships. In addition to his role as a competitive dancer, he is also a member of Hollywood Connection’s Teen Company and is a Senior Ambassador for Ignite Dance Intensive.
Ashley Ramos, Snow Queen Ashley is 15 years old and is currently a sophomore in high school.
She has been dancing with LA dance since the age of 3 and has danced competitively for 10 years. Ashley trains in different variations of dance and has received numerous awards. She is so excited to perform the Snow Queen in this year’s Nutcracker!
featured Artists
Nikita Krylov (Guest Artist), Snow Prince & Arabian Nikita graduated from Wayne State University in 2020 with a BFA in theatre and a minor in dance. Recently, he performed in the Addams Family (Lucas) at the Birmingham Village Players and this past summer, he performed in Pippin (ensemble) with the Nicely Theatre Group.
This is Nikita’s fourth time performing as the Snow Prince and third time performing Arabian in The Nutcracker. He would like to thank his family, teachers and colleagues for their support.
Mai Uchino, Sugar Plum Fairy Mai Uchino is 15 years old and is currently enrolled in International Academy as a high school sophomore.
After her ballet training at Ballet Detroit, she began training at LA Dance with Ms. Carmen Wade. Mai received a full scholarship for Ballet Magnificat SDI this year. She was also invited to Ballet Edge Detroit and dance at company performance in this month.
It is hard to keep balance ballet and study, but she believes all efforts are never wasted, and hold good for achievements.
Nirvan Singh (Guest Artist), Cavalier Nirvan was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1999 and began his dance training with Brooklyn’s Covenant Ballet Theatre. Nirvan’s passion for dance became more serious when he attended the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive in downtown Manhattan and performed an excerpt from the Giselle peasant pas. In 2012, his family moved to Portage, MI where he began taking classes at Ballet Arts School of Dance and performed in BAE’s production of Les Patineurs, amongst other shows.
In 2021, Nirvan received his Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Western Michigan University on a full ride as a Medallion Scholar. He has performed in numerous pieces by WMU’s dance department faculty such as Falling Table, an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake as Prince Siegfried, Phage, Fantoccio, An Evolutionary Story written in the East Sea, and Wingless Angels, as well as numerous pieces in Great Works.
While attending the BalletMet Company Rep Week 2019, Nirvan was able to perform Edwaard Liang’s Beautiful Child, Gustavo Ramirez’s 18+ 1, and an excerpt from Justin Pecks’s In Creases.
Following graduation, Nirvan moved to Detroit for an apprentice position at Eisenhower Dance Detroit. Throughout their 31st season, Nirvan has toured works by choreographers including Maleek Washington, Norbert De La Cruz III, WeWolf, Stephanie Pizzo, and Laurie Eisenhower.
Cast Members, act i
Clara ……………………..…………Sila Elitok
Fritz …………………...……….….. GianMarco Bolognesi
Drosselmeyer……………...…..….. Richard Bruderick
Dr. Stahlbaum…………..........……. Doug Jones
Mrs. Stahlbaum ……………....…… Ayumi Uchino
Granny……………………..………. Colleen Bruderick
Maids ………………………………. Brooke Fox, Valerie Malmestead, Audrey Phillips, Brooke Phillips
Parents ………………….…………. Carmen Craft, Audra Crandell, John Crandell, Ali Elitok, Charlie Lussenhop, Andrea Quick, Jordan Quick, Sonia Vallis, Thomas Vallis
Party Girls ………..........................… Ellasandra Aratari, Lilliana McCartney, Camila Isabel Midence Mejia, Eleanor Polvi, Bryana Rivera, Kaelyn Summers, Quinn Trombly, Fernanda Tzirnazolglou, Olivia Xie
Party Boys…………………………. Olivia Aratari, Leo Bolognesi, Karena Chen, Claire Demorest, Sophie Grech, Summer Natsui Soriaga, Georgia Pistikaki, Presley Roberts, Summer Zheng
Friends ………………….…………. Vivien Accardo, Ava Farchone, Stella Gerke, Alyssa Johnson, Layla Pahl, Chloe Trombly
Doll #1 ……………………..………. Eliza Sibuya
Doll #2 ………………………..……. Ana Trevino-Nunez
Doll #3 ………………………….….. Zachary Bez
Cast Members, act
Nutcracker Soldier ……………….. Alonzo Dock
Mouse Queen ……………..……….. Isabella Herbert
Mice………………………….…..…. Noelle Blank, Sylvia Chen, Madeline Frakes, Pietra Gomes, Vanessa Grillo, Georgia Haviaras, Maggie Hosner, Allesssandra Mejia, Raina Patel, Emily Ramos, Adriana Rivera, Mariana Tzirnazolglou
Soldiers ………………………...….. GianMarco Bolognesi, Baileigh Boss, Cecilia Castaneda, Bella Crandell, Evelyn Guo, Sophie Grech, Katherine Guo, Aubree Johnson, Gabriella McCartney, Georgia Pistikaki, Donatella Rocco, Quinn Trombly,
Baby Dolls …………………...….… Charlotte Kukatz, Jailyn Kleinheksel, Pilar Torres, Elizabeth Waldron, Rylee Wallace
Snow Queen ……………....………. Ashley Ramos
Snow Prince ………….......…….….. Nikita Krylov
Snowflakes ………………………… Brooke Baker, Karina Ballina Loza, Mariana Ballina Loza, Josie Delano, Brooke Fox, Elizabeth Gerke, Claire Grech, Samantha Jones, Valerie Malmestead, Nicole Neff, Shelby Olanger, Bianca Oliveira, Eliza Sibuya, Ana Trevino Nunez,
i
Cast Members, act II
Sugar Plum Fairy .…….………..….. Mai Uchino
Cavalier ……………………...…..…. Nirvan Singh
Angels ………………………....….... Charlote Dukatz, Jailyn Kleinheksel, Lila Shore, Pilar Torres, Elizabeth Waldron, Rylee Wallace
Bakers …………………………...…. Olivia Aratari, Cecilia Castaneda, Sylvia Chen, Madeline Frakes, Vanessa Grillo, Georgia Haviaras, Maggie Hosner, Raina Patel, Mariana Tzirnazolglou
Head Page ……………………...…... Shelby Olanger
Pages ……………………………..… Bella Crandell, Sophie Grech, Katherine Guo, Allessandra Mejia, Emily Ramos, Adriana Rivera, Donatella Rocco
Spanish ………………………...……. Brooke Baker, Claire Grech, Valerie Malmestead, Shelby Olanger, Ashley Ramos, Ana Trevino Nunez
Arabian………………………...…….. Samantha Jones, Nikita Krylov
Cast Members, act
Shepherds ………………………… GianMarco Bolognesi, Georgia Pistikaki, Quinn Trombly
Sheep ……………………………… Leo Bolognesi, Claire Demorest, Lilliana McCartney, Camila Isabel Midence Mejia, Summer Natsui Soriaga, Eleanor Polvi, Presley Roberts, Kaelyn Summers, Fernanda Tzirnazolglou, Olivia Xie, Summer Zheng
Chinese ………………………..….. Vivien Accardo, Karina Ballina Loza, Noelle Blank, Josie Delano, Ava Farchone, Stella Gerke, Pietra Gomes, Alyssa Johnson, Malin Larson, Lucia Lulgjuraj, Layla Pahl, Chloe Trombly
Russian ………………….………… Ava LaForge, Addison Martens, Emma Olanger, Audrey Phillips, Brooke Phillips, Danika Vallis
Candy Canes ……………………… Baileigh Boss, Karena Chen, Bella Crandell, Sophie Grech, Evelyn Guo, Katherine Guo, Aubree Johnson, Gabriella McCartney, Georgia Pistikaki, Bryana Rivera, Donatella Rocco, Quinn Trombly
Dew Drops………………....………. Claire Grech, Bianca Oliveira
Flowers …………………......……… Vivien Accardo, Karina Ballina Loza, Noelle Blank, Josie Delano, Ava Farchone, Brooke Fox, Elizabeth Gerke, Stella Gerke, Pietra Gomes, Isabella Herbert, Alyssa Johnson, Ava LaForge, Malin Larson, Lucia Lulgjuraj, Emma Olanger, Layla Pahl, Eliza Sibuya, Chloe Trombly, Danika Vallis
II
2022 Nutcracker roles Maid, Snow, Flowers
When did you begin dancing? 10 years old.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan on attending Grand Valley State University for elementary education.
What will be your favorite memory of your time at LA Dance?
My favorite memory is my first Nutcracker, when I was able to meet everyone and make a ton of new relationships!
“You live as long as you dance.”
~ Rudolf NureyevSenior Spotlight
Brooke Fox
CONGRATULATIONS SENIORS
Senior Spotlight
When did you begin dancing? 3 years old.
What are your plans after graduation? I plan to pursue an engineering degree.
What will be your favorite memory of your time at LA Dance?
My favorite memories will come from hanging out with my teammates in the studio and at competitions. Dance has helped me make so many lifelong friends and connections that I will always cherish.
“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.”
Brooke Phillips 2022 Nutcracker Roles: Maid, RussianCONGRATULATIONS SENIORS
~ Mikhail Baryshnikov
sweet notes
Maggie Hosner, Congratulations! We’re so proud of you and all your hard work!
Love Dad, Mom and Olivia
Olivia and Ellasandra Aratari, We love watching you dance and are so proud of both of you!
Love Mom and Dad
Maggie Hosner, The performance will be stunning jut like you are! Enjoy this spectacular production that you, your friends and teachers have worked so hard for. We love you and are so proud of you!
Uncle William, Aunt Kelly and Brooke
Eliza Waldron, Congratulations on your first Nutcracker performance. We love you, Eliza!
Love Mom, Dad, Ben and Clay
Maggie Hosner, You’ll do great tonight!
Love Grandma and Grandpa
Josie Delano,
We are so proud of all your hard work and dedication! WE love watching our Tiny Dancer!
Love Mom, Dad, Bella, Luci
Eleanor Polvi, Congratulations on achieving your dream to be on stage for the Nutcracker. We love you!
Mommy and Daddy
Donatella, We couldn’t be prouder! We just love to watch you dance! Dream big and dance your heart out. Love you so, Mom, Dad, GG and Lucci.
Bella, Good luck and enjoy yourself as much as you did when you first started dancing!
Love Gramy and Gramps
Lucia, We love you with our whole hearts.
XO Dad, Mom, Natalija, Niko, Vince, Juno and Godzilla
Emely, You’ve come so far and you worked so hard. We are so proud of you!
Love Mommy, Daddy & Evie
Sila,
Words can’t describe how much we are proud of you. We love you sooo much! Keep going, Clara!
Mom, Dad and Karem
Ashley,
It has been our pleasure watching you perform on stage. Your passion for dance shines through you. We can’t wait to see you perform Snow Queen.
Love Mom, Dad and Allison
Sammy, We are blown away by your passion and love for dancing! We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see what your future holds!
Love Mom, Dad, Alex, Stevie and Georgia
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Ballet Dancer Hierarchy
In the United States, ballet dancers in a professional company are divided into three ranks: corps de ballet, soloist and principal. A ballet company’s artistic director is the one who promotes dancers through the levels of the company. The salary of a dancer is also tied to their level.
Corp de ballet This is the beginning level and where most professional dancers start out. Most of a ballet company’s dancers are at this level. These dancers usually are in the big group dances, working together as one unit. They tend to do the same choreography but in unison making complicated steps and movements at the same time. They also are cat in supporting character roles. Corps de ballet means the “body” of the ballet company backbone! Roles such as Flowers, Snowflakes and party goers are assigned to the Corp.
This is the middle level. If the artistic director sees that a dancer in the Corps de ballet really shines and excels technically, he or she may promote the dancer to the Soloist level. This dancer will get leading solo roles that show off their abilities. Roles such as Arabian, Spanish and Russian are assigned to soloists.
Soloist
Principal This is the highest level a dancer can reach. A dancer can be promoted to principal dancer if they have top-notch technical ability and can combine that with beautiful artistry. That means they have to have great acting skills for story ballets a dancer is playing a role like an actor would in a play or movie. They also have to connect with the audience they can’t just be technically perfect, their movements also have to communicate emotions and ideas to the audience. The principal dancer gets the most important roles, such as Sugar Plum Fairy, Cavalier, Snow Queen, Clara and the Nutcracker!
Cited from: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre; Photos of San Francisco Ballet
Nutcracker Trivia
#1 Tchaikovsky
In 1891, world renowned Imperial Russian Ballet choreographer Marius Petipa commissioned Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose music for the Alexandre Dumas adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman’s fantasy story “The Nutracker and the Mouse King. After he finished his composition, he wrote that he felt the music was “infinitely poorer” than that of “Sleeping Beauty”, which he finished two years prior. It was the last of this three ballets the first of which was “Swan Lake”.
#2 The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
Original writer, E.T.A. Hoffman, did not intend for this story to be for children. His original work showed humanity’s dark sided nature and was not appropriate for a younger audience. This was the reason Petipa chose to follow the lighter adaption of the story written by Dumas for the 1892 premiere in St. Petersburg. Today, The Nutcracker is often characterized as being a children’s ballet.
#3 The Celesta
Tchaikovsky created the familiar tone of the Sugar Plum Fairy on a new instrument he had discovered in Paris: the celesta. The instrument had a clear, bell like tone with ethereal notes perfect for the fairy-tale ambiance of The Nutcracker. Another popular piece of music you may be familiar with uses the celesta as well Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter!
#4 Petipa and Ivanov
Petipa became ill during the creation of The Nutcracker and had to withdraw as choreographer before it was finished. His assistant of seven years, Lev Ivanov took his place and completed the choreographer. Though Ivanov’s style of dance differed from Petipa, it was hardly noticeable, as Petipa left strict guidelines for Ivanov to follow for completion. You may recognize some of Petipa’s other work from productions such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Coppelia and many others.
Nutcracker Trivia
#5 Nutcrackers
In Germany, there is a folklore tradition based on the idea that nutcrackers protect your family and bring your home good luck. For this reason, nutcrackers were often given to children at Christmastime.
#6 Critics
The first Nutcracker Ballet performed at Mariinsky Theatre was not very well received by critics. In fact, the future of the ballet did not look bright until George Balachine revamped the production in 1954, bringing a newfound popularity. BY the last 1960s, The Nutcracker established itself as the essential ballet of the holiday season, and Balachine’s choreography is the version most often performed to this day.
#7 The Tree
In the LA Dance Nutcracker, the Christmas tree seen in act I can be raised up to 25 feet tall, giving Clara her “shrinking” effect. This tree is also around 300 pounds and is over 30 years old.
#8 Costuming
Every performance of The Nutcracker requires on average over 200 costumes, some of them custom made by hand. In our Nutcracker, some of the costumes are original pieces that are up to 30 years old. Tutus are the most complex costume made, as each one requires 8 12 layers of tulle each and can take up to 60 hours to create!
#9 The Mouse King
The evil villain of The Nutcracker was originally written to be much scarier of a foe. He had 7 heads, which was the inspiration for our Mouse Queen’s costume headpiece!