Magic of the Nutcracker Returns
By Alex O’Gorman
This December, Texarkana Community Ballet will put on their annual show, The Nutcracker. The show will be performed the second through the fourth at the Perot Theatre and is coordinated by Tammie Duncan from the Tammie Duncan School of Dance.
Dedication is vital to being a performer in The Nutcracker. For most of the girls, the show has played a big role in their dance careers…
For over 20 years, the ballet has offered young dancers in Texarkana the opportunity to perform to the music of Tchaikovsky in front of a captive audience. Multiple dance studios across Texarkana unite every year to put on this show for the holiday season.
“The production of The Nutcracker takes many volunteer hours from many different people,” soloist Sarah Grace Boudreaux said, “first and foremost, the ballet teachers contribute their time for this ballet to be magical.”
The dancers range in age from eight to eighteen, some of whom have performed in The Nutcracker for almost a decade. To be eligible for the show, the performers must have taken seven years of dance classes prior to auditioning.
“This is my ninth year to be in The Nutcracker,” soloist Emily McMaster said. “I’ve done it since I was 8, which is when you can start doing it, and I’ve always really enjoyed it.”
Though The Nutcracker is a Christmas event, preparations ranging from training to auditions take place throughout the entire year for dancers and coordinators alike.
“I do ballet all year-round and then I attend three to four different summer workshops, specifically training for the audition for The Nutcracker,” McMaster said. “It’s not just a seasonal thing for dancers.”
In late August, auditions are held that determine who will perform as which character. For many girls, the ultimate achievement is being cast as a prominent solo role such as “Clara” or the “Sugar Plum Fairy”.
“It really takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get to one of those top spots,” soloist Addison Rogers said. “Being that character in the show is really what shows your effort and how much
dedication you put into it.”
After all roles are determined, intensive practice begins almost immediately.
“From September through performance, which is in the beginning of December, it’s just lots of weekly rehearsals with your class and the dance group you’re casted with,” Rogers said. “Then when the performance [gets closer], practice is every single day of the week.”
Dedication is vital to being a performer in The Nutcracker. For most of the girls, the show has played a big role in their dance careers, so every person works hard to make it as good as it can possibly be.
“For the past five years, I have had to prioritize Nutcracker rehearsals over
social events, school and family time,” soloist Sarah Grace Boudreaux said. “In the end, I wouldn’t have it any other way because performing in The Nutcracker is something I and the whole community looks forward to, and it makes it all worthwhile.”
Every year, the community has a huge response to The Nutcracker. Friends, family and peers of the dancers as well as average residents of Texarkana are invested in the show, which many consider to be a personal tradition.
“I know it’s something the community as a whole always looks forward to. Tickets sell out so fast, and people always keep up with who’s what part and how people are doing,” Rogers said. “It’s something not only to watch and be entertained by, but something to be proud of. Since it’s the beginning of December, it always gets everyone in that Christmas spirit.”
The anticipation for the show from both the community and the dancers typically build up to an extremely nerve-wracking opening night. Friday night sets the standard for how the two other shows will go.
“You know what the audience is expecting; you know what they’re looking for; you know what they’re waiting to critique and judge,” Rogers said. “Once you get that Friday over with, the rest is just fun.”
Along with the satisfaction of successfully performing a show they have worked hard on, the dancers also get the opportunity to make friends along the way.
“Even though the cast is very large, we all become very close due to our individual sacrifices,” Boudreaux said. “We as ballet dancers are so fortunate to be able to perform The Nutcracker annually.”
Among the frenzy of preparation and practice, the magic of the show is embodied by its youngest performers, who will go on to perform The Nutcracker for years to come.
“To the little girls, The Nutcracker is something they go home and read during Christmas time. It’s like a fairy tale to them. Watching us older girls is like a fairy tale that’s happening in front of them and that they’re even a part of,” Rogers said. “It’s not so much the dance that matters to them, it’s just the feeling and that dream of being one of those older girls some day.”
