Every December, ballet studios across Montgomery County put on their annual production of “Nutcracker,” a classic ballet about a young girl’s journey through fantasy realms on Christmas.
Studios have opted not to stage their renditions of “Nutcracker” this season due to COVID-19 safety concerns. In lieu of their traditional performance seasons, dancers participated in pandemic-safe “Nutcracker” projects and modified their seasonal traditions to keep them alive.
“It was clear all the way back in October that a normal ‘Nutcracker’ would not be happening,” Brenda Welch, a senior at Sherwood High School and student at Berrend Dance Center in Gaithersburg, said.
Welch has been dancing in “Nutcracker” for almost a decade and has performed in roles such as a Snowflake and the Flower Queen.
For Berrend Dance Center, auditions for children’s roles typically begin in late-September. Dancers in their pre-professional division start rehearsing large group pieces, such as “Waltz of the Flowers” and “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” in mid-October.
After in-studio rehearsals and costume fittings have concluded, dancers transition to rehearsing on stage. Community volunteers construct the Olney Ballet Theatre’s elaborate sets of background candy canes, an extendable Christmas tree and fake snowfall.
Many of the older dancers spend entire days at the studio or theatre, rehearsing or trying to complete homework during breaks.
“The process is very draining, and [everyone] becomes sleep-deprived and stressed. The first week of December, tech week, is the week we all spend every moment … preparing for opening night that Friday. We have a warm-up class on stage right after school, then rehearsals until 6, then [put] on some makeup, shows start at 7:30 and end at 10,” Welch said.
This year, Berrend Dance Center’s artistic director was contacted by The Mannakin Theater and Dance Company, located in San Francisco, to participate in a filmed version of “Nutcracker” called “The Nutshell.” It includes various dances from companies around the world.
“[It was] a chance to perform … and we ultimately recorded it in full costumes (with matching pink masks) outside in 40-degree weather,” Welch said. “[The] experience was only a sliver of what we usually accomplish, but we were all grateful for the opportunity and felt like we had a little mini “Nutcracker” during these crazy times.”
Maryland School of Dance, located in Rockville, roughly follows the same “Nutcracker” preparation timeline as Berrend Dance Center and chose to abstain from hosting a performance.
Their dancers engaged in a similar COVID-19 safe “Nutcracker” project.
“We spent a class on Zoom recording ourselves doing this piece called ‘Flowers,’ and our studio director’s going to edit it together and make a video,” Ada Fiala, a sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School and a student at Maryland School of Dance, said.
In addition to joining film projects, dancers have attempted to continue their casting traditions, such as Secret Santa or Snowflake, a mystery gift exchange, wearing holiday-themed attire to class and decorating their dressing rooms.
“We [usually] take Starbucks … runs in-between shows and perform the Mean Girls Christmas number in the empty theatre while we’re delusional from exhaustion,” Welch said. “We [normally] blast Christmas music while putting on makeup, we take mirror pictures in costumes and have a snowball fight with fake snow after the Christmas Eve show.”
However, Fiala expressed her belief that it was difficult to continue the majority of her studio’s traditions because most of them are based around the performance and being together, but she was still able to have a good time.
“We have warm-up class right before [shows] which is always fun, and we always have the same exercises so it’s just something that everyone comes to know by heart,” Fiala said.
Despite the pandemic and canceled “Nutcracker” season, dancers remain optimistic about the future and appreciate their studios’ attempts to carry on traditions.
“It’s such a magical experience. This would have been my 10th year dancing in this production of the ‘Nutcracker.’ It really does make me sad to see this final ‘Nutcracker’ pass me by, but I will be forever grateful for this show. I will never forget anything that I have taken from these years of experience, and I will look forward to what’s to come,” Welch said.
Article by Avery Wang of Richard Montgomery High School
Graphic by Ha-Tien Nguyen of Winston Churchill High School