Every year, as the leaves change colors and the wind starts to pick up, I know that it’s Nutcracker season announcing its arrival. Dancing in The Nutcracker has been an annual tradition for me since I was five, but with each passing year, I discover how being a dancer has helped shape me as a person.
The Nutcracker ballet is a famous Christmas ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. When a girl named Clara Stahlbaum receives a Nutcracker doll from her Uncle Drosselmeyer at her Christmas party, something magical happens. Toy soldiers come to life, the mice grow to the size of humans, and a large battle between the two sides commence. With the soldiers claiming victory, Clara is transported through the mystical lands of her dreams.
This year, in Clara’s magical dream, I will be a Snow Maiden in the Land of Snow – one delicate snowflake that floats in with the snowfall, joining into a furious blizzard that flurries around. In the Kingdom of Sweets, I will be transforming into a Golden Rod Fairy, along with the Sugar Plum Fairy twirling across the stage, welcoming Clara. I will also be a mysterious Arabian Coffee slowly swaying to the music and a fiery Spanish Chocolate boldly jumping and spinning. At the end of Clara’s fantasy dream, I will be a Sterling Silver Rose elegantly dancing alongside the Rose Queen and the Dewdrop Fairy in the Waltz of the Flowers. When I am dancing on stage in all the different beautiful costumes, hearing the applause from the audience, I will be able to proudly say that all our hard work throughout the year has paid off.
Being casted and dancing in various roles that I have always wanted to perform on the stage is an amazing feeling, but what I love most about dancing in the Nutcracker is its unbeatable sense of community. Before rehearsals, we gather around to review choreography, reinforcing the technique that goes into each step, and giving corrections to each other for improvement. During performances, we help fix each other’s costumes and pin one another’s hairpieces in the dressing rooms and cheer on our fellow dancers from backstage. For every successful show, we support each other and do our best to fulfill our own role, just like a team.
Another element that plays a huge role in the Nutcracker production is the discipline of the dancers. Although classes are normally only a few times a week, the frequency of rehearsals increases to many times a week and lasts for several hours each time as the performance comes around. However, a lot of the practicing is actually done offstage, outside of the ballet studio: rehearsing the dances in my living room, running through the choreography in my head while I’m on the way to rehearsal, and listening to the music to remember my cues. We dancers must take the little time that we have after practices and make room for school work and projects.
To me, ballet isn’t merely a hobby, it’s a passion. It isn’t just about involvement, it’s built on commitment. Being a ballerina has taught me invaluable lessons that I hope to apply to all aspects of my life. I have learned to keep my cool on stage, how to smile at the audience and shine in the spotlight. But most importantly, ballet has taught me the 5 P’s that I will always live by: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!
