Christmas time is just around the corner and there’s no doubt about it, just look around. Stores are having great sales, people are stressed out, finals are causing college students to pull their hair out and The Nutcracker is springing up everywhere! The Nutcracker is one of those Christmas signs we can’t ignore, and for some people, it’s an annual tradition to put their kids in cute little dresses and sweater vests and head out to the Ballet.
On December 2, 2017, The Miami Dade County Auditorium had its own showing of the time honored classic. Though not a company ballet, it still held the absolute magic of the show and provided its audience with a much needed dose of traditional Christmas spirit. The Thomas Armour Youth Ballet teamed up with New World School of the Arts to put on a beautiful production. The Studio’s goal was to “make certain all children in the audience see performers on stage who look like them.” And they certainly did just that.
The show began with younger dancers and moved slowly into the more advanced dancers as it progressed. It was beautiful to see where a dancer begins and how hard work and dedication to this long standing art form can create such an amazing talent. Specifically, the way the audience sees Clara, a young dancer, juxtaposed against the Sugar Plum Fairy. The difference was striking, the talent was on such different levels, but the grace was already there in both. The way the dancers all moved no matter what level they are in their studies all showed the same grace that is ingrained in them and has been a staple of ballerinas for years.
Going to see a Ballet is putting yourself right in the middle of history, beauty and art. It is something different than the everyday routines. Going to the ballet is almost a luxurious outing, sitting in those seats and watching the curtain rise, the dancers gliding across the stage as if they weren’t even touching the ground. There are few things more beautiful than the ballet, and few things more traditional than The Nutcracker at Christmas. While the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet is done performing for the season, the Miami City Ballet will be performing it throughout the remainder of December at the Adrienne Arscht Center. If you haven’t seen it, try to, you won’t regret it!
-LKG