| The joy of dancing Clara in the Nutcracker For more than 100 years, playing the lead in the holiday classic has been a budding ballerina’s first time to shine. |
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Laura Peterson, a mother of three from Mission Viejo, Calif., took her daughter Shelby to see ""The Nutcracker"" ballet when the girl was 3. Shelby didn’t fidget in her seat; she didn’t fall asleep. Rather, she sat on the edge of her chair throughout the two-hour production, her eyes glued to the ballet’s lead character, a girl called Clara. And when it was over, Shelby turned to Peterson and said determinedly: ""That’s what I want to do, Mom."" Eight years later, Shelby Peterson was Clara, in Laguna Dance Theater’s 2006 production. For Peterson it was a ""wonderful thing to see her achieve her dream. She was a beautiful Clara."" The part of Clara is a rite of passage for a budding ballerina, besides the fact that it is the biggest part available to an adolescent girl in a traditional ballet. Clara must be able to act, perform tricky step combinations by herself, and carry much of the story for the ballet’s entire first act. Most studios cast more than one girl for the run of their ""Nutcracker,"" because it is so much work. For American children especially, it might the one time they are onstage in a theater other than a school auditorium. Students at Europe’s opera house ballet schools have for centuries had supporting roles in company productions. But only ""The Nutcracker"" features a young girl as the star of the show. For some, this is what makes the ballet charming; for others, it is reason enough to avoid it. The ballet is based on E. A. Hoffmann story ""The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,"" and the story’s heroine is named Marie; Marie has a doll named Clara. Librettists of the original, 1892 Russian ballet changed Marie’s name to Clara, but they cast a child in the role — Stanislava Belinskaya, from the Mariinsky Theater school, was the first Clara. Critics groused about all the children in the ballet — even while Peter Ilich Tchaikovksy’s magical score, and Lev Ivanov’s choreography won praise. Within 30 years in Russia, the role had passed to an adult pretending to be a child, as one choreographer after another revised the original. Not so in this country. ""I would say from the beginning, the tradition here was always the child (Clara),"" said UCI assistant professor of dance Jennifer Fisher, the author of ""Nutcracker Nation: How an Old World Ballet Became a Christmas Tradition in the New World."" ""Americans really like seeing their children dancing so that’s why you could connect. Kid could aspire to this."" Sophie Nguy?n, 12, has been aspiring to be Clara for at least half her life. She had grown so tall though — she is 5 feet 9 inches — that she was afraid her teachers Anthony and Terri Sellars of Orange County Dance Center in Huntington Beach, wouldn’t consider her for Clara. To her delight, they did. They have surrounded her with equally tall fellow dancers so Sophie doesn’t look unnatural. The high school senior who plays Clara’s mother is 6-foot-2, said Terri Sellars. Sophie said she has practiced so much, she isn’t worried about the steps. ""The hardest part is going to be looking out at the audience and knowing that hundreds of people are looking at you and knowing if you mess up they’ll all see it,"" she said about what awaits her. The expectations and time commitment for a child are intense — training class six days a week and rehearsals on the seventh day. But it’s more than worth it for Sophie. ""At my studio, we’ve built up certain traditions with being Clara,"" she said. ""We hang out after school. We get matching clothes, bags, and we embroider tank tops. It’s a great way to make new friends."" Twelve seems to be the preferred age, though one local director said she has cast a girl as young as 8 in the part. In some productions, Clara wears pointe shoes and takes over some of the key adult roles in the second act, even dancing the ballerina part normally given to the Sugar Plum Fairy. Festival Ballet Theatre artistic director Salwa Rizkalla has given her Clara a pas de deux with the Nutcracker Prince, and her three Claras this year are 14 and 15. Bryn Gilbert, 15, said the role has been challenging. ""It’s really difficult technique-wise,"" she said. ""It’s a very advanced role. We also have to do a lot of acting. It’s more than anything I’ve ever done before. It is really fun being in every act and not just one."" Local teachers agreed that the hardest aspect for the girls is learning how to act, and how to look spontaneous onstage. Most of them have not acting lessons or mime. ""It’s a real turning point for little girls who are in love with ballet and realize, "I have to really use my face, I have to really use my eyes," ""said Shery Gilbert, artistic director of Laguna Dance Theatre. ""You’ve got to convey with emotion and make every bit of the story visible to the audience."" Most studios have auditions in the early fall for ""The Nutcracker"" parts, but directors also are always tracking their students’ progress. Terri Sellars, co-director of Ballet Repertory Theatre, said the students must have demonstrated a strong work ethic during the year and be able to sparkle onstage. ""When you’re doing a recital in June, you take note of those that just light up the stage with a natural ability and the ones that are working extremely hard. That combination would be the key,"" Sellars said. Shelby Peterson, now a veteran at 12, said she had a great time doing Clara last year. She was also glad she was onstage two times, because she didn’t fully enjoy herself until the second show, because she had been so nervous during the first one. Peterson said she would gladly have been Clara again this year. Alas, most studios do not allow it; you can only be Clara for a year. But asked if she had any advice for this year’s Claras, Peterson had wise words: ""I would tell her just to smile and do your best and enjoy the time you have on stage."" Here is a partial list of ""Nutcracker"" performances in Southern California. Many of these companies offer discounted tickets for families or for certain shows, so be sure to call and inquire: PERFORMANCES Orange County: -Ballet Études -Ballet Repertory Theatre -Daria Bearden Foundation -Festival Ballet Theatre -Laguna Dance Theatre -Maple Youth Ballet -Nouveau Chamber Ballet -Sunrise Ballet Theatre Tustin Dance Center, 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 15. Servite Theater, 1952 W. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Tickets: $15-$25. www.tustindance.com -Youth America Ballet (Pacific Coast Academy of Dance) Surrounding areas: -Inland Pacific Ballet -Long Beach Ballet -Los Angeles Ballet -Media City Ballet -Westside Ballet Other holiday ballets: -Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes
This is reprinted with permission from the Orange County Register, which shares a content partnership with Ngu?i Vi?t Daily News. |
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