I’ll be honest, even as the parent of dancers who have been involved in various Nutcracker productions cations of the past decade, I’ve never been a fan. But this production changed my mind. It was beyond anything I could have imagined and held me captivated the entire time as I watched all three shows this past weekend. So original with a beautiful fusion of so many details rent musical influences. I am sincerely excited to see how this production matures and evolves in the fire. Bravo to all!!
Thanks, Karen! I agree. I had not seen any part of the production when I wrote the piece. It was mostly about the tenaciousness of Lorraine and her team, of which you were a big part. I was amazed at all the work that went into it, all the meetings, all the outreach, all the graphic design. And coordination among all of you. Truly a testament to creative effort and great teamwork.
You all are so deeply devoted to and engaged with creating beauty, Stew. Just wonderful. Busy, thank you for sharing the video. The colors, the elegance -- I'm sure the shows will be remarkable!
Thanks, Elizabeth, for naming what you see us doing. I had to write about what Busy is involved with, which is so many things that I sometimes feel that I am living in a train station; if I'm engaged with creating something, it feels like I create space for stuff like this to happen. Big beautiful space!
This is so cool. I love the Nutcracker, and never knew of the Andalusian version. The last time I saw the Nutcracker was 35 years ago, when Lorrin Shepherd gave me comp tickets to see it in Tamla with my 3-year-old.
Love this post, of course. Thank you Stew! I couldn't resist sharing this sneak preview of the December 20-21 performances of Alchemy Ballet's Andalusian Nutcracker--just in case any of your readers might be within reach of Herndon, VA. https://vimeo.com/1148054250/4e8be6128f?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
I’ll be honest, even as the parent of dancers who have been involved in various Nutcracker productions cations of the past decade, I’ve never been a fan. But this production changed my mind. It was beyond anything I could have imagined and held me captivated the entire time as I watched all three shows this past weekend. So original with a beautiful fusion of so many details rent musical influences. I am sincerely excited to see how this production matures and evolves in the fire. Bravo to all!!
Thanks, Karen! I agree. I had not seen any part of the production when I wrote the piece. It was mostly about the tenaciousness of Lorraine and her team, of which you were a big part. I was amazed at all the work that went into it, all the meetings, all the outreach, all the graphic design. And coordination among all of you. Truly a testament to creative effort and great teamwork.
You all are so deeply devoted to and engaged with creating beauty, Stew. Just wonderful. Busy, thank you for sharing the video. The colors, the elegance -- I'm sure the shows will be remarkable!
Thanks, Elizabeth, for naming what you see us doing. I had to write about what Busy is involved with, which is so many things that I sometimes feel that I am living in a train station; if I'm engaged with creating something, it feels like I create space for stuff like this to happen. Big beautiful space!
Serendipitous piece on NPR yesterday about the Nutcracker cash cow. https://www.npr.org/2025/12/22/nx-s1-5628350/the-nutcracker-helps-keep-the-lights-on-for-american-dance-companies
This is so cool. I love the Nutcracker, and never knew of the Andalusian version. The last time I saw the Nutcracker was 35 years ago, when Lorrin Shepherd gave me comp tickets to see it in Tamla with my 3-year-old.
That’s a big gap in years. If you are around, come and see it. This is the first Andalusian Nutcracker, ever.
If I were closer, I definitely would.
Love this post, of course. Thank you Stew! I couldn't resist sharing this sneak preview of the December 20-21 performances of Alchemy Ballet's Andalusian Nutcracker--just in case any of your readers might be within reach of Herndon, VA. https://vimeo.com/1148054250/4e8be6128f?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci