During a Sunday afternoon dress rehearsal of the Kingdom of Sweets scene in composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet “The Nutcracker,” it was difficult to keep track of the array of dancers making their way to the studio stage at Opus Performing Arts in preparation for Dec. 14–17 performances at Bellingham’s Mount Baker Theatre.
From cute-as-a-button cupcakes with oversized cherries affixed to the top of their heads to even more adorable marshmallow sheep, peppermints and gingersnaps — not to mention well-known characters such as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, the Nutcracker, Shepherdess, Peacock and Mother Ginger — the scene was one of carefully controlled chaos.
Artistic Director Brooke Evans remained calm and collected throughout the rehearsal, but later acknowledged the pathway to getting the holiday production to the stage takes an astounding amount of time and energy.
When it comes to the numbers involved in producing “The Nutcracker,” she pointed out more than 130 dancers from the ballet school faction of Opus will be seen in the staged ballet, which this year features two casts telling the story of a young girl named Clara who befriends a nutcracker who comes to life on Christmas Eve to battle a rodent villain.
“We’ve actually doubled our workload this year by double-casting many of the roles, to ensure everyone has an understudy if needed,” Evans said, noting pandemic-related protocols made the decision a necessary one. “Double-casting also helps spread the opportunity of soloist roles to more than one dancer.”
Charlotte Miller as Clara awakens at the end of the ballet to find a wooden nutcracker by her side at a rehearsal of “The Nutcracker.” (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Other figures that factor into making “The Nutcracker” shine include keeping track of more than 300 costume pieces, which are handcrafted by Opus co-founder Marie Redstone, who started the dance company with her husband, Allan, in 2013.
Plus, Evans estimates more than 350 hours will have been spent in the rehearsal process by the time audiences sit down to watch the story unfold. She said most of the dancers have been rehearsing for about three months, and advanced soloists have been working on their roles for closer to six months.
“People are often surprised that we begin rehearsals in the summer,” Evans said, “but it’s really the only way to bring a work of this scale to a place that is ready for the stage.”
Evans added a team of professional dance instructors, directors, choreographers, costumers, dancers, volunteers, artists and industry professionals come together to fine-tune “The Nutcracker,” which will be in its fourth iteration this year. In addition to the Redstones — who provide the physical space, costumes, set pieces and “gallons of coffee” — Evans said key players include co-director Ian Bivins, choreographer Celeste Hartsook, teacher and in-house graphic designer Diane Williams, house managers Emma Beha and Breanne Johnson, and a parent community who never hesitates to jump in with random tasks or even costume alternations.
Evans said props must also be given to the team at the Mount Baker Theatre, who meet every challenge Opus throws at them and “never fail to make us feel taken care of.”
For those who’ve never seen Opus’ take on “The Nutcracker,” be aware there are alterations from the typical production. For one, the Stahlbaum family is usually portrayed as being wealthy, but Opus presents Clara and her brother Fritz as being from a working-class household — which is more relatable to the dance company’s student base and audiences.
Another deviation is that “The Nutcracker” is often presented with troubling racist tropes and cultural appropriation, such as “yellow face” and dancing in caricature. Evans said this tradition is an unnecessary one and is absent from Opus’ performances.
“Ballet needs to evolve from its 600-year-old history and move more toward being an inclusive art form,”
Evans said. “It starts with schools like us. Ultimately, this is a story about joy, family, overcoming fear and the magic of childhood around Christmas time. There should be no room for those reprehensible images and depictions any longer.”
Jina Thompson is the Sugar Plum Fairy. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Stripping away the negative aspects of “The Nutcracker” and providing the community with a holiday tradition is important to Evans, but she said what personally motivates her to keep the production going is the students. Their enthusiasm and dedication are “palpable,” she said, and coaching them to feel empowered whether they’re performing or in a weekly ballet class brings her a whole lot of pride.
Evans said she thinks Opus’ dancers become lifelong learners through this process and come to realize it’s not just about the show, but about the progress they make over time as they glean lessons about perseverance, problem-solving, teamwork, determination and a variety of other important life skills.
“Dance is the gift that keeps on giving,” Evans said. “Every time my students dance, they learn more about who they are. These students are the next generation of dancers, who will make great changes in the dance world. They will carry it forward and help it evolve.”
Coming to a theater near you
What: Fidalgo DanceWorks presents “The Nutcracker”
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9–10
Where: Anacortes High School’s Brodniak Hall, 1600 20th St.
Ticket price: $17–$27
Details: The mission of Fidalgo DanceWorks is “excellence in dance education and performance for all.”
Info: fidalgodanceworks.org
What: Opus Performing Arts presents “The Nutcracker”
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Dec. 14–17. The Dec. 16–17 performances will be streamed online.
Where: Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St.
Ticket price: $12 for children 12 and under, $20 general
Details: More than 130 dancers ages 3–17 will bring this classic Christmas tale to life. The magical journey includes a great battle, magic tricks, cute cupcake kids, exquisite handmade costumes, stunning choreography, a plethora of dancing sweets and one petulant child.
Info: Find out more about Opus at opusbellingham.com; tickets are available at mountbakertheatre.com (beware of third-party sellers).
