“There are many new pieces to The Nutcracker Reimagined this year” – Andrea Purrenhage, Owner of Mount Pleasant School of Dance, and Artistic Director of The Nutcracker Reimagined.
The Mount Pleasant School of Dance will be gracing the stage with magical performances of The Nutcracker Reimagined. This show is an annual performance for the dancers at Mount Pleasant School of Dance. The Nutcracker is a famous ballet that I am sure you have heard of, if not seen. But, what if we reimagined it and included styles of dance that are not ballet? Well that is exactly what Artistic Director Andrea Purrenhage was thinking when she initially created this show. The Nutcracker Reimagined is the same great ballet that we love, set to the same music with all the same parts and scenes, but… Including different styles of dance.
There are also many new items and roles in the Nutcracker this year. This year the party scene has a whole set that was built by gracious helpers and friends of the studio. There is also new moving parts in some of our favorite routines. This year, the snow scene has some magical snow falling, and the flowers in waltz of the flowers have a special surprise for you. Along with new sets, and moving parts, we also added new roles. This year we have a dewdrop (Isabel Walton) to lead her flowers and a Lead Angel (Olivia Bean) to Greet the Sugar Plum Fairy (Addeline Struble). We have also added some new and exciting roles to the party scene that we are excited to show you.
Some of the dancers, go to this high school as well, here are some of the dancers that go here, and what these spectacular dancers do in the nutcracker. Isabel Walton a Senior at Mount Pleasant High School, is a Snowflake, Arabian Coffee dancer, and Dewdrop the leader of the flowers in Waltz of the Flowers. Andrew Kequom a Junior at Mount Pleasant High School, is the Butler, a Snowflake and the Prince Cavalier for the Sugar Plum Fairy, and he performs a variation and a gorgeous Pas De Deux with the Sugar Plum Fairy. Marilyn Powell a Freshman at Mount Pleasant High School, is The Nutcracker, a Snowflake, Lead Spanish Chocolate Dancer, and a Flower. Claire Vogel a Junior at Mount Pleasant High School, is a Snowflake, Marzipan lead, and a Flower.
The magic of the nutcracker however, is also not just the dancing, for the audience it is the story that the dancers so graciously show them through movement. The story opens with the party scene with all of her cousins and family friends, at the party Clara’s Godfather brings her a nutcracker doll as a gift, later that night when she falls fast asleep she wakes up and everything has grown, the mice have grown and the christmas tree as well as the nutcracker soldier. The Nutcracker and the Rat King have a battle. Later she travels through the land of snow and ice to the land of sweets where all the different countries gift her their dance and the sweet that they represent. Afterwards Clara Says goodbye to the Sugar Plum Fairy and all the sweets she meets, and wakes up wondering if it all was a dream.
For the dancers the most special part of the nutcracker is bringing The Nutcracker magic to all people who come to see the show. For more information and for tickets visit our ticketing website to purchase. There are multiple shows and we hope you will join us.
