Our studios are an exciting place to be right now, especially this week, as the dancers get the opportunity to rehearse in their beautiful new costumes, production is preparing to “move in” to TPAC, and over 150 children are coming and going from their Nutcracker youth cast rehearsals with the full Company! Last week it was truly amazing to see 1st Company, 2nd Company, and mutiple sets of youth casts enter Studio A for a run-through of Act II- it looked liked Grand Central Station! But within seconds, dancers were in the center of the room poised, focused, and at attention awaiting their cues, children were seated quietly all around the studio walls preparing for their turn to dance along side the amazing adult dancers, and Artistic staff was busy eyeing each detail of the choreography, cleaning-up movements, and using their amazing talents to create the magic, beauty, and intricacy of this amzing new production! For all involved in the process of making this production a reality, this is such an amazing time- years of planning are coming to fruition. If you step inside our building you can’t help but feel the excitement in the air- it is all over the dancers’ faces as they learn each new step, put on each new costume, and prepare for a spectacular premiere. Its all over Paul Vasterling’s face as he watches his unbelievable vision take life in the studio as each dancer physically creates the pictures that he has been painting in his mind. It is on the faces of each staff member that is working so diligently in their own area of expertise to make this new production a huge success!

I went up to New York City this past weekend to make some regular visits to foundations that fund Nashville Ballet, so I was able to get to some performances by American Ballet Theater (they were terrific), but more importantly I was able to visit a couple of the costume shops where some of our new Nutcracker costumes are being made. It was really fun to walk into these shops (Barbara Matera and Carelli) which have built numerous, numerous ballets and musicals over many years. They had costumes for “The Lion King,” “Phantom of the Opera,” and the brand new production of “West Side Story” which will open next March (it was fun getting to see the drawings for that) just to name a few. The BEST part was walking into the lobby of the old building (it’s just as I imagined a New York costume house–old cluttered and creaky, with an ancient elevator) and seeing our new costume for what is commonly known as the arabian dance. It was beautiful; beaded and wonderfully detailed. I also got to see the Sugar Plum cavaliers, the snow corps de ballet, the Sugar Plum Court, Spanish, Snow Queen, Madame Bonbonnierre, and more. All one after the other amazing. The scale of the production is like nothing Nashville Ballet has ever done before–everything is super size-opera house scale. When I arrived home on Tuesday, our costume department showed me all of the bon bons that come out from under Madame Bonbonierre’s skirt!

I am truly looking forward to the new production of Nutcracker! It will be stunning! The costumes are incredible, the sets are unbelievable, and the choreography? What can I say? Paul Vasterling will once again amaze us with his creativity and skill. Drosselmeyer isn’t the only one with magic up his sleeve! It is a rare treat to have a Nutcracker that has been so cleverly detailed to represent the history of our great city. Paul incorporates the 1897 Centennial Exposition that took place in Centennial Park, the Belle Meade Mansion, Andrew Jackson and his frontiersmen, ice skating at Shelby Bottoms, and more! For a history buffs and ballet enthusiasts this production will be a real treat and the best of both worlds! It took Paul, a talented crew of designers, and a devoted staff and board over three years to make this vision for a new Nashville Nutcracker a reality. As we draw closer to it becoming a reality, all of us at Nashville Ballet are getting very excited. From an Education and Outreach stand-point, this production is huge! Educators, parents, and students will be exposed to a wealth of knowledge before, during, and after our performance. Not only will we experience Tennessee History in such a creative way, but we will also gain a greater understanding of the art of dance and the beauty of a classic score by Tchaikovsky. Nutcracker is a holiday tradition for many. Through educational storytimes at the local libraries and interactive website activities, I hope that children of all ages in our community will learn more about this treasured ballet classic and the process Nashville Ballet undertook to make it so unique and special to our city!