Wow, where was I last week when I went to see the Nutcracker Ballet on opening night? I recently wrote that the “first scene was a little disappointing for me”. My memory must have let me down because the colors were not dull at all. The first curtain is interesting as the props made it seem like the dancers were inside the house. As soon as that curtain is lifted, the party was filled with splashes of color!

Last night the lead rolls were danced by Jill Marlow, as Marie, and Liang Fu, as the Nutcracker. I specifically went last night to see these two perform their first season as lead dancers in this special yearly production.

When I first visited Ms. Marlow at the Cincinnati Ballet, she had never danced the lead roll of Marie. I actually arrived on the second day of rehearsal. I thought that both Jill and Fu looked as if they had danced the roles before yet looked a little nervous. At rehearsal the next week the two were rehearsing alone with Mr. Carney and appeared even more skilled than the week before even though still very nervous. I would have never believed  that Jill was ever nervous after watching her dance last night.

She moved so eloquently with her long expressive arms during solo and partner dances and a childlike realism when playing with the others. Her expressions change as needed to portrait each scene as interpreted.

Fu danced with power and grace and gained cheers from the audience during his solo each time he launched into the air.

Each dancer was wonderful in their parts and even in sync with each better than opening night. I was sitting in the orchestra again however right in the middle this time. Of course I had my 6 year old son with me this time who did not sit as still as my Mother did! I think that he asked about 52 questions in the first 10 minutes and kept asking about the mouse. The fight between the mice and the soldiers was the only part of the ballet that he actually sat still through. Other parts of the production kept his interest in spurts like the Chinese Trainer and Mother Ginger of course.

Thank you to everyone who was involved with this years production of the Nutcracker. If you have not had the opportunity yet to take in a show, it runs until the 27th of December  and is a wonderful delight for all ages.

Last night was the opening night for The Nutcracker 2009 here in Cincinnati. I not only had the pleasure of seeing this performance for the first time live, I also had the opportunity to see it with my Mother. She has never been to the ballet so I thought it would be a wonderful Christmas present for the both of us to see it together. And, as expected, the choreography and the dancers hard work  did not disappoint.

Victoria looked beautiful and very proud to speak last night not only about the wonderful presentation of the Nutcracker that is always so well received and greatly anticipated but about some wonderful news that was announced a few days earlier. The orchestra is always a wonderful addition to each production and adds that much more without taking away from the beauty of the dancing. They have been trying to raise funds to keep their involvement with the ballet. On December 11th, it was reported that 98 year old Louis Nippert donated $85 million to the Arts, including the ballet and their orchestra. Thank you to this most gracious donor and fellow arts lover.

In last nights performance, the leads of Marie and The Nutcracker were played by Janessa Touchet and Cervilio Amador respectively. I, like my Mom have never actually seen the entire ballet and therefor honestly did not know exactly what was going on and yet the story pretty much told itself. We agreed that it was very well choreographed and that Mr. Devon Carney helped tell the story with his emotion and arm movements.

Mom and I  sat on the third floor balcony, where I admit that I was a bit afraid to walk down to my seat. Funny thing is that I am a flight attendant and yet terrified of heights! I found out though that it brings a whole new view that was quite exciting. The only thing that I was sad about is that I could not completely tell the faces of who was dancing that far away. What we were able to see is the formations of the dancers and the entire stage along with the orchestra, which was really nice. I enjoyed being able to see which instrument was making the more unusual sounds, which would drive me crazy more than leave something to the imagination. The other thing that I could see from that high unfortunately was the fact that it appeared that some of the dancers were not placed well. What I mean by that for example is when there were four dancer on stage, dancing in a circle , each dancer was not the same distance apart. Or, one dancer would be too far forward or back from the others and the timing was not always in synch. First of all, I wonder if I am being too overly critical, can the patrons on lower levels tell the difference and is this even something that matters. No matter where the dancers were on stage they looked amazing.

The set in the first scene was a little disappointing for me. The reason that I say this is because the colors were so muted and dull compared to last months production of Swan Lake. The curtain staged as a home in scene one with views through the windows was quite creative however, I suppose I just expected more of a pop of color like last month. Of course, speaking of a pop, the ingenious use of fireworks to show the magic used by Herr Drosselmeier certainly caught the audiences attention. With a surprised gasp, the excitement didn’t stop with just one bang yet the next was just as exciting as the first. I am still thinking about the items on stage like the bed that both flew through the air and floated effortlessly across the stage by itself.

It’s possible that some of the children  found the fight with the mice and their Mouse King to be the funniest as told by the laughter coming from the audience. It wasn’t until Act 2 when the color I was looking for danced onto the stage in the form of flowers and world dancers. Lovely shades of blue, yellow, orange and purple twirled so beautifully and enter the brilliant red rose. Yellow and black in the Spanish dancers. Sensuous elegance in the Arabian dancers. Some other things that the children loved were the Chinese Trainer and his dragon and Mother Ginger standing very tall with 8 little children all under “her” dress that come out one by one then two by two.

Overall, I am so glad that I was able to see this production and look forward to many years of working with the ballet. Don’t miss out on your chance to see this wonderful group of dancers. I for one cannot wait to go back on the 23rd to see my friend Jill dance her first season as the lead of Marie after all of her work of learning the part.

Last night was Ballet and Rootbeer for the upcoming production of The Nutcracker. I took my 6 year old son for the first time, which was his first experience with the ballet. I found it quite humorous that when we first arrived at the Cincinnati Ballet’s rehearsal building and I showed him a young male ballet dancer, he was surprised that he was dancing “with girls”. Yuck!

Unfortunately, he was not too thrilled with sitting in the theatre watching the dancers either. Possibly boring for  a little boy (unless already predisposed) and for a first timer that cannot vision the final product. These dancers are not in costume, so if you have never seen the ballet, do not know what’s going on or are not moved by the fact of what these professionals are doing, it may not be quite so compelling for some. For me, as soon as the music starts I am lost. Even with that, it is even more exciting when I am sitting in the big theatre with the roar of the live orchestra and the wonderful colors of the costumes. I feel like even after watching the rehearsals and the informal production, the whole thing comes to life with the costumes and sets. Bigger than life actually like an escape to another world filled with nothing but beauty and passion.

Once again, it was wonderful to see all of the little girls dressed up in little ballet tutu’s and whether he enjoyed the performance or not, my son had fun meeting some of the dancers and playing with the new friend he made less than 5 minutes after arriving. It just happened to be another boy that really was bored with the whole thing, except the free cookies of course.

Last night was the first time that I was able to see Jill Marlow and Liang Fu dancing since I began watching them a few weeks ago rehearsing the lead parts for the first time. Still somewhat new to the ballet behind the scenes, I thought that they looked perfect the first time that I saw them, which was only the second day they had rehearsed the parts. The second time that I saw them, I had the opportunity to see just the two of them working with Devon Carney and could see the difference between how they were executing each step and how they could interpret it more effectively. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of changing legs or the speed of the step. I realize it may not seem like a big deal however, it could mean the difference of injury or just an awkward landing.

I was pleased to see a beautiful performance danced by all of the dancers and most importantly to me, “my” beautiful new friends Jill and Fu. Great job to both of you and I cannot wait to see you in full costume on the big stage sans a 6 year old.

Christmas time is my favorite time of year. It is a big time for Christians and other religious groups (if that’s the correct verbiage) but is also a crazy time with all of the shopping and religious differences!

Which one is correct? Midnight mass, Hanukkah, Quanza? Who knows?

I was raised Baptist and yet I have been to midnight mass at a Catholic church more than once growing up and into my adult years. I think that the whole Jewish thing is fascinating with the presents on more than one day too even though I never really expect anything. BTW, I realize that the Jewish holiday is not about presents.

Then, there’s the activities. Is it packed full or relaxed for your family?

I love the music, the lights and decorations, the food and yes the shopping even though I haven’t actually done any yet. It’s fun to see just how low stores will drop their prices. Do I buy it now or will it go down more? I really did want to go out the day after Thanksgiving until I woke up that morning. Then I was disappointed when I did actually get up that I did not go. Oh well, there’s always next year. So I stayed warm, slept in and didn’t get trampled or kicked out and placed in a time out (Walmart shoppers!). I will just have to pay $20 more for something if I really have to have it.

Citybeat, a Cincinnati Free “newspaper”, wrote a story on the issues and joys of the season called ’12 Days of Christmas, where they list things to do during 12 days of Christmas starting on December 14th. The list includes the Cincinnati Ballet’s Nutcracker for which you all know I am most excited about. Thank you for including this.

I am so exctied the long awaited Nutcracker Ballet is almost here. Opening night is December 17^th at 8:00pm and continues until the 27^th. This performance is the ballet that marks the Christmas season for me. It wouldn’t be Christmas without the Nutcracker anymore than it would be without Santa Claus. The same weekend that the performance opens, the Cincinnati Ballet is offering two events that mark the most anticipated ballet of the year.

NutcrackerChildren’s Luncheon

For those little prince and princesses in your life, you will not want them to miss the children’s luncheon on Saturday the 19^th at 11:30am-1:30pm. Enjoy a child friendly menu with surprise entertainers and ballet selections from The Nutcracker Ballet presented by Frisch’s and performed by Otto M. Budig Academy students.

Being held at The Westin Hotel on Fountain Square Presidential Ballroom, tickets are available individualy for $35 with tickets to the performance at the Aronoff Center sold seperately or order a Family & Friend Tables for $850.00, which includes 10 tickets to Luncheon & Performance!

Please contact: Event Manager, Tammy Gambrel at 513-562-1138 or email tgambrel@cincinnatiballet.com.

This year marks the 35^th Anniversary of the performance being brought to fan’s thanks to Frisch’s support and with that brings an unbelievable event:

2009 Nutcracker Gala: Reflections

The event honor’s the support of Frisch’s on December 20^th from 6-9pm with a cocktail reception, dinner “by-the-bite” and a silent auction at 6:00pm followed by a presentation and live auction at 7:15pm. At 8:00pm deserts and a champagne toast on the Aronoff stage following in the theme of The Land of Sweets.

Take part in an amazing part of history as we stroll down memory lane with 35 years of one of the most beloved and cherished ballets known as The Nutcracker.

The AronoffCenter for the Arts

(Loge and Stage of The Procter & Gamble Hall)

650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
……………………………

December 20^th 6:00pm-9:00pm

Tickets $150.00 per person

Please contact: Event Manager, Tammy Gambrel at 513-562-1138 or email tgambrel@cincinnatiballet.com.

Today, I decided to take a seat above in the balcony. I am relieved that I did not walk into the room where the professional class was taking place because it seems a lot more “formal” than the rehearsal of just two couples. Barres were placed at various spots around the large room with dancers on either side and a pianist was playing live music for the rehearsal. What a lovely treat for me to be at my first class although I wish I was at the barre myself.

The instructor this morning was Qi, pronounced chi, who comes over as a full time instructor with CCM to occasionally teach classes. Ms. Marlow and I discussed having him direct the class versus the regular instructor. Qi does things differently than the other instructors and places moves in different order. I think that this would keep things interesting and fresh, allowing the dancers the opportunity to learn new things or use their muscles in new ways, which she agrees.

Once the barre work is finished, which is their warm-up, the floor work begins and is broken up into groups. Two to five dancers repeat instructions that are shown to them by Qi at a time. As each group finishes, the next takes a turn and then the dancers are given a new set of moves to try. The last part of the class is a final set of dance moves that each dancer performs more than once and adds something to if they like each time they pass. What was nice for me to see is that even the most experienced dancers were not perfect in every step. I wonder if this is because, and thanks to, the fact that they are not used to the way that Qi interperets the steps. He keeps them on their feet!

As they were reaching the end of the class, some of the dancers were adding their own special touches to the move, such as an extra spin or leap. Very exciting and a great way to bring one of my all time favorite movies to life! Thanks guys for the opportunity.