By K.D. Norris
The upcoming local holiday highlight, the Grand Rapids Ballet’s annual presentation of “The Nutcracker”, was already planned to be unique in this year of pandemic as Ballet will be presenting a ticketed online presentation of “The Nutcracker Experience”, Dec. 18-27, as part of its 2020-21 season.
But in an announcement this week the Ballet added another unique audience “experience” — short dance videos produced by the public incorporated into the program.
“Put on your dancing shoes and submit a video of no longer than 30 seconds of you, your family, your friends — whoever in your pod wants to join in — dancing to the music of The Nutcracker,” a Dec. 2 announcement from the Ballet stated, “and there’s a chance you’ll see it at the end of the performance.”
The Ballet is even making available online music from the production to dance to and “to get you in the holiday spirit.”
In addition to a moment of dance stardom, five submissions will be given a free Patron Plus subscription for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
Videos can be submitted by email to videos@grballet.com no later than Thursday, Dec. 10.
And if you just want to watch …
Ballet artistic director James Sofranko, his dancers and video production team are putting the finishing touches on “The Nutcracker Experience”, with special choreography by Val Caniparoli, and music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and performed by Grand Rapids Symphony.
“We know your family’s holidays wouldn’t be the same without The Nutcracker in 2020,” Sofranko states on the Ballet’s website. “That’s why (we are) … so proud to bring you a reimagined version this year — The Nutcracker Experience.”
According to the Ballet, the Experience will include “many of your favorite characters and dances including Drosselmeier, Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and of course the Nutcracker Prince; as well as many of your favorite scenes including the Waltz of the Snowflakes, Waltz of the Flowers, The Russian Trepak, The Chinese Dragon, and more.”
The Grand Rapids Symphony, long-time Nutcracker partners with the Grand Rapids Ballet, will provide the musical score as conducted by John Varineau.
The production, approximately 60 minutes in length, was filmed explicitly for The Nutcracker Experience by SALT Creative Production Studios, and also includes a behind the scenes look at the artists and their art creation.
Choreographer Caniparoli, according to the Ballet’s website, is “one of the most sought after American choreographers internationally.”
He has contributed to the repertoires of more than 50 dance companies, including Finnish National Ballet, BalletMet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, State Theatre Ballet of South Africa, and Tulsa Ballet, (resident choreographer 2001-06).
Caniparoli is most closely associated with San Francisco Ballet, his artistic home for more than 43 years. (Sofranko came to Grand Rapids Ballet from the San Francisco Ballet.)
Tickets to “The Nutcracker Experience” make the production available online via Vimeo, and are $15. (The Ballet “kindly asks you purchase as many ‘tickets’ as you will have friends and family viewing.”) Once your purchase is complete, ticket holders will receive emails with more details on how to access the online content.
For more information and tickets, visit grballet.com.
