People run around backstage, tutus scraping against the wall, the sound of pointe shoes tapping on the floor, the smell of hairspray and bright red lipstick on everyone’s lips. Dancers eagerly arrive to show off the hard work they’ve done in the studio, and take it to the stage. Nutcracker season is back, and dancers at Ballet Chelsea are filled with both excitement as well as nervousness before their stage debut.
After months of preparation, the red curtain drapes in front of the stage and dancers perfect their final things one last time before the curtain rises and the performance starts. The dancers at Ballet Chelsea do a total of 4 performances over the course of three days.
Ballet Chelsea class and rehearsal take place all throughout the school year; Students put time and energy into putting on three performances per year. The season begins with the Nutcracker, which has been put on by Chelsea for the past 27 years. Following that is a spring show, which changes every year, and lastly a recital marking the end of the season.
Students at Chelsea spend their weekends at the studio starting in late September and going through early December to prepare for the show. Students participate in rehearsals ranging from 30 minutes to two hours, learning and perfecting a series of choreography.
What feels like not long after rehearsals start, the dancers travel to the Jackson Potter Center, where they spend Monday to Thursday bringing the show to the stage. Things like meticulously spacing every dance and ensuring that the show will run smoothly.
Most roles in the show are ‘double cast,’ meaning dancers’ roles in the show vary between night shows and matinee shows. Dancers are expected to be able to perform completely different parts of the show, depending on the time of the performance.
In order to look as magical as possible on stage, dancers wear costumes provided by the Ballet Chelsea’s own costume department. The department is known as “The sewing bees” and is made up of volunteers who spend their free time perfecting the costumes. Majority of costumes are reused year after year, with small mending or redesigning elements before every season. Dancers appear on stage wearing costumes, headpieces and other accessories that are perfectly fit to them and coordinated for each dance.
Dancers arrive at the George E. Potter Center in Jackson, MI, where they will be performing, at least 2 hours before the show opens. During this time they take a warm-up class, led by a variety of staff and director Michelle Quenon. The class consists of a classic warm-up at the barre, as well as combinations in the center that dancers can adjust based on their roles in the show.
Following the warm-up class, dancers head backstage to their dressing rooms, where they spend the next hour finishing hair and makeup and getting into costume. The show opens promptly at the scheduled time, with the orchestra warming up, followed by a quick verbal storytelling for the audience. After the performance, the dancers will get out of costume and go out to the lobby to see friends and family who came to support. Production week is stressful, but it is one of the most important weeks for the performance in order to bring magic to the stage.
Post-performance dancers begin to miss the season and begin to look forward to the next. Ballet Chelsea’s nutcracker is a highlight of the season for the performers in it, and a magical experience for the audience members.
