By MIKE CHAIKEN EDITIONS EDITOR “The Nutcracker” has delighted audiences young and old for well over a century. And for young dancers, the holiday themed ballet is a kind of rite of passage as they move up the ranks of roles each year they dance. One of the most coveted role is that of Clara, the young girl whose dreams on Christmas eve are the basis for many of the dance sequences in the second half. There are a myriad of performances of “The Nutcracker” in Connecticut this Christmas season. There are professional productions and there are productions mounted by area dance schools. Ballet Theatre Company of West Hartford will be staging a production of “The Nutcracker” at The University of St. Joseph. Among the dancers will be Plantsville’s Anna Erickson, 9, and her sister Emma, 6, and Berlin High School student Margot Paul. As a young girl, Anna said, “I like that there is a party scene because it feels like you are at the party. I like that Clara is nice to her friends and a great dancer.” And Emma said, “I like that the story has a lot of different dances. I like that Clara dances pretty.” […]
By MIKE CHAIKEN EDITIONS EDITOR “The Nutcracker” has delighted audiences young and old for well over a century. And for young dancers, the holiday themed ballet is a kind of rite of passage as they move up the ranks of roles each year they dance. One of the most coveted role is that of Clara, the young girl whose dreams on Christmas eve are the basis for many of the dance sequences in the second half. There are a myriad of performances of “The Nutcracker” in Connecticut this Christmas season. There are professional productions and there are productions mounted by area dance schools. Ballet Theatre Company of West Hartford will be staging a production of “The Nutcracker” at The University of St. Joseph. Among the dancers will be Plantsville’s Anna Erickson, 9, and her sister Emma, 6, and Berlin High School student Margot Paul. As a young girl, Anna said, “I like that there is a party scene because it feels like you are at the party. I like that Clara is nice to her friends and a great dancer.” And Emma said, “I like that the story has a lot of different dances. I like that Clara dances pretty.” […]