This year’s Not! The
Nutcracker was a success, with near sell-out crowds for both shows at the
Tsai Performance Center November 30 and December 1. We posted a pre-show write-up here the week of
the show—thanks to all who tuned in to read it and send their comments. We urge
you to log in and register your comments here, as it’s our goal to start a
conversation about the studio and dance in general—so please join us!
In the meantime, we’ve heard from people who were not able
to attend this year’s rep show but are curious about the pieces faculty and
students presented. Here’s a look what you missed:
The show opened with Anastasis,
a beautiful new modern piece by BYM director Jim Viera and performed by the Level
4 students. Set to music by Dead Can Dance, the piece showcased the BYM
dancers’ technique and stamina. And the evergreen costumes were gorgeous.
Jeannette Neill’s Ain’t
No Way was next, performed by a fabulous group of women who did the blues
number perfect justice; such a treat to watch. Jeannette also choreographed a
piece for the BYM Level 2 students, Louisiana
Christmas Day. Their cowboy boots and jeans were just the thing to get the
party going during the first half of the show. Just before the Level 2 kids, Stephanie
Heroux’s dancers shined in Winter
Solstice Blues, a jazz piece set to a trio of music by Little Beaver, Josh
Hodge and Sarah Bareilles; another treat to watch.
Next came Sarah-Kay Jerome’s crowd-pleasing Maestro Madness, a fun, fast hip-hop
piece. Sarah-Kay’s dancers’ energy and stage presence is contagious, and some
of them took to the stage in the second half for her intense contemporary piece
Conflicted Souls. It was tiring just
watching them.
Sue Casey-Murray offered up her “swan song” with The Crossroads, a beautiful lyrical jazz
piece performed to Brandi Carlisle’s Before
it Breaks and Jason Mraz’s I won’t
Give Up. Performed by six of Sue’s regular students, this piece put an
exclamation point on her more than 20 years of JNDS rep show choreography. Kudos
to you, Sue!
The first half of the show ended with a trio of holiday
pieces starting with Nikki Sell’s Christmas
Time is Here, followed by Brittany Alexis’ adorable hip hop quartet Carol of Funk, and ending with Nikki’s
hilarious Christmas Can-Can. I think Nikki
set a record for the number of props you can fit on the Tsai Center’s stage.
The second half of the show was just as strong as the first,
opening with Stephanie Heroux’s Oath,
a lyrical tribute to the fight against cancer. The inspiring piece was
performed by Stephanie’s company, Jazz Inc., to music by Beyonce. Next, the BYM
Level 4 kids commanded the stage in Chasing
Time, a modern piece that guest artist Stephanie Hilton (a BYM alumna who
now dances with Cirque de Soleil) set on them earlier this fall. The stunning
piece showcased this group’s incredible talent and strength; they were powerful
and beautiful at once.
Rounding out the second half was Lilian Carter’s I’ll Take You There, an upbeat jazz
piece set to music by Madonna (loved that angel the dancers made at the end of
the piece); Sarah-Kay’s previously mentioned Conflicted
Souls; two pieces by the BYM Level 3 students; Jim Viera’s jazzy—and
absolutely adorable—Why Me?; and
Elena Greenspan’s beautiful contemporary number Walking in the Air, a snowy, white wonderland of a piece that ended
the show perfectly.
Just a couple of quick words about the BYM Level 3 students:
their first piece, Whirl, was
choreographed by BYM faculty member Devon Fitchett, and the dancers handled a tough
piece of music and sophisticated choreography beautifully. They came back on a
few pieces later to perform Jim Viera’s Default
and they didn’t disappoint there, either. What a treat it will be to watch this
talented group of dancers grow.
Not! The Nutcracker
also features the annual presentation of the Dorothy Rogers Conneely Memorial
Dance Scholarship. Given in memory of Jeannette’s mother, the BYM scholarship
is bestowed on a deserving student who has been dancing in the program for at least
two years. Level 4 student Caroline Weber is this year’s winner. The presentation
was especially touching, in part because Caroline is a longtime JNDS dancer,
taking her first class in the children’s program many years ago. But more
importantly, Caroline and fellow BYM Level 4 student Rebecca Stevens followed
the scholarship announcement with a special presentation in honor of JNDS
artistic director J. Allen Collier, who is fighting cancer. The BYM kids raised
more than $1,100 for cancer research, which they have given to the American
Cancer Society in Allen’s honor. It was a moving gesture by a group of young
people clearly touched by the BYM program and its dedicated faculty.
It’s back to regular class time for open-class students now–at
least until March when rehearsals begin for the Spring rep show, also a concert
of jazz, modern, theatre, hip hop and street funk dance. In the meantime, remember
that the studio will be closed December 24 and 25 and December 31
and January 1 for the holidays, so mark your calendars. Class cards will be
extended to reflect the closings.
Congratulations once again to all the Not! The Nutcracker! performers, choreographers and stage managers
for another great concert. And happy holidays to all.
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