The audience buzzes as the house lights dim and the overture starts. The curtains open to reveal the dancers posed in the bright white lights on stage. The ballet starts: “The Nutcracker.”
On December 7, 2024, four Haldane students performed in the traditional Christmas ballet, “The Nutcracker”, in the large auditorium of Fieldstone Middle School in Thiells, New York. The production was put on by two local dance studios, Beacon Ballet Art Studio and Ballet Rockland.
“The Nutcracker” is a story about a little girl named Clara. At her family’s Christmas party, her crazy uncle, Drosselmeyer, gives her a gift: a nutcracker. That night, she goes to sleep and has a nightmare in which giant mice attack her, and her beloved nutcracker saves her. The Nutcracker then takes her through a snowstorm and into the magical land of sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy greets them. The Nutcracker recounts the battle that he won against the mice, and the Sugar Plum Fairy awards them for their bravery with a show. All candies in the land of sweets, like hot chocolate, coffee, and flowers, dance for Clara and the Nutcracker.
Four Haldane High School students who are dancers at Beacon Ballet Arts Studio, junior Louisa Schimming, sophomore Clara Gelber, and freshmen Leo O’Neil and Chloe Hasler, rehearsed for “The Nutcracker” from September to the day of the performance, December 6. Hasler performed as a party mom, a snowflake, and a flower and had a long rehearsal schedule. “On Saturdays, I rehearse from 2 pm to 5 pm, and then on Sundays, I go from 10 am to 12 pm,” she said. This rehearsal time was in addition to the students’ usual weekly dance classes. The students at Ballet Arts study many different dance styles throughout the year for their concert in the spring. “I dance 14 hours a week, other than Nutcracker rehearsal,” explained Schimming, who performed as the Dewdrop fairy, a snowflake, and hot chocolate in The Nutcracker.
Ballet Arts Studio and Ballet Rock land, another local dance school located in Haverstraw, New York, collaborate each year to give hard-working students the experience to be part of a professional rendition of “The Nutcracker.” Regarding the experience of working with another dance school, O’Neill, who performed as a lady at the party, a snowflake, and a flower, said, “It was very eye-opening about different styles of dance and about [Ballet Rockland’s] different creative process.” The students also enjoyed meeting other motivated dancers their age and bonding with them. Gelber, who performed as a lady at the party, hot chocolate, a snowflake, and a flower, said, “I love spending time with my friends and, yeah, working hard in rehearsal.”
“The Nutcracker,” first performed in 1892, displays the magical talent of hard-working dancers worldwide. It has become a Christmas tradition as it is set on Christmas Eve. Although this ballet is mystifying in the way that it is chaotic and whimsical, it brings joy to young children with its bright colors, fun costumes, and upbeat melodies. “It’s a magical story to be a part of, and it puts me in the Christmas spirit,” said Schimming. Alongside other performers, Haldane students spent months working to put together this special ballet. Most importantly, it was a very fun experience that these dancers enjoyed. Through these dancers’ performances, preparation, and talent, “The Nutcracker” came alive as an amusing and impressive production
