Columbia University Ballet Ensemble Inspires Holiday Spirit With 'The Nutcracker'

Upper West Side NY

14 December, 2021

1:56 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY KRISTIN MERRILEES DECEMBER 13, 2021 In front of a glowing Christmas tree, dancers in party dresses leaped, twirled, and dazzled across a brightly-lit stage. On Dec. 11, the Columbia University Ballet Ensemble performed the wintertime classic ballet "The Nutcracker." Through a magical production complete with dazzling costumes, elegant dance, and renowned music, holiday spirit was on full display as dancers waltzed through the Stahlbaum family's Christmas Eve party and the famous Land of Sweets. "The Nutcracker" stars a young girl named Clara, played by Naomi Namboodiripad, CC '24, who receives a nutcracker doll at a Christmas Eve party. She falls asleep under the Christmas tree, and wakes up at midnight to find that all of the toys—including the Nutcracker Prince, played by Aidan Hurff, CC '25—have come to life. The show was put on virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions; attendees watched the two-act ballet through a YouTube livestream. Although dancers rehearsed in person this semester, restrictions on the number of students that could be in the studio at a time and the inability to rent theater space necessitated a video production, according to CUBE's artistic director Camila Vicioso, CC '23. The performance was pre-filmed in the Barnard Movement Lab. Then, all the dances were pieced together into a video production. The format enabled special visual effects, which were done by executive director Michaela Fleischer, BC '22, such as falling snow and enlarging the Christmas tree. Madeline Angelides, BC '24, is both a dancer and a répétiteur, aiding in the rehearsing of choreography. Taking inspiration from the original ballet, she especially enjoyed the experience of teaching choreography for both the Christmas party scene and the battle scene between the mice and toy soldiers. "The Nutcracker" was chosen for this semester's ballet in part because of its popularity. After the pandemic, the cheerful ballet was intended to bring up viewers' spirits, shared Vicioso. The ballet is traditionally performed by many dance studios during the holiday season, "but because of the pandemic last year, a lot of places didn't do it. So we figured it would be nice for students to do 'The Nutcracker' this year since we might have missed it the past couple of years," Vicioso said. The virtual format also enabled those outside of the Columbia community, like family members, to watch the show. "If we're in a theater, it's harder to show it to people who can't travel to New York City, so that was one benefit of the filming aspect. We could share it to everyone," said Vicioso. In Act 1, Clara and the audience witness a spectacular battle: the mice, led by the Mouse King, played by Elle Ferguson, BC '23, versus the toy soldiers, led by the Nutcracker. Video effects are used to zoom in on and dramatize the sword fight between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker, making for a suspenseful battle. Because the scene consisted of mostly beginner-level dancers, emphasis was put on the formation and timing of movements, according to Angelides. After defeating the Mouse King, the Nutcracker transforms into a human prince in Act 2. He whisks Clara away to the Land of Sweets, where they are welcomed by the Sugar Plum Fairy, performed by Elizabeth Hasapis, CC '25, and are treated to a night of sweets and dancing. The dance scenes in Act 2 each focus on a different confectionery treat in the Land of Sweets, such as hot chocolate, coffee, tea, candy canes, and marzipan, as well as feature polichinelles—a group of playful clowns—and flowers come to life. Different costumes were used for each sweet, with red leotards and flowy white skirts to represent candy canes and bright pink dresses, tutus, and hairpieces to represent flowers. The dancing sweets once again appear during the finale scene. Before Clara and the Nutcracker bid their farewells, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Sugar Plum Cavalier, played by Nicolas Ouporov, CC '24, also performed an elaborate duet together complete with synchronized jump sequences, highlighting Hasapis' flexibility and Ouporov's strength. In the morning, Clara wakes up under the tree, which is illuminated by spotlights on stage. The ballet ends as she holds up her toy nutcracker to the audience in adoration. Her flowing, powerful, port de bras calmly closes the ballet filled with battling rats and dancing dolls. Editor's note: Michaela Fleischer is an associate editorial page editor at Spectator. She had no part in the writing or editing of this article. Staff writer Kristin Merrilees can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @kristnmerrilees. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.