"'The Kids Steal the Show' Yet Again"
In 2010, I attended a ballet production of The Nutcracker performed by Fountain Dance Ministry in Pinkney, Michigan. The ballet was executed and performed very well. FDM hired three professional dancers from South America to accompany the studio’s own dancers and children, which made the whole performance a spectacular one.
The Nutcracker is the same ballet that Sid Smith, a writer for the A&E Tribune, wrote a review on in the month of December in 2011, although he saw Joffrey’s rendition, a highly advanced and professional choreographer and productionist. After reading “The Kids Steal the Show at Joffrey’s ‘Nutcracker’”, I must agree with his report that “probably the most winning is the children,” in this particular production. From what I read in the review, this was a production where the entirety of the dance was performed by professional dancers, young and old alike. It doesn’t surprise me, then, that Smith was so taken away by the young performers’ performance. For children to execute the same amount of precision and adequacy as adults who grow up in the performing world really proves how much work these kids dedicated to put on the production. As Smith states, “A Snow Queen or Sugar Plum Fairy as the star? Not really. Its the youngster disguised as a gingerbread cookie who steals the show.” I apprecitate Smith’s recognition of the children as most people would want to pay more attention to the more experienced dancers.
While the Nutcracker performance that I witnessed was a very well rendition of the enchanting ballet, those who stood out in FDM’s production were the three professional dancers, as opposed to the children. I am not taken aback by this, though, because it makes complete sense that I, as well as most of the audience, gave the standing ovation at the end of the ballet due to the highly experienced performers rather than the less experienced children. I must admit, however, that the children in this production certainly did add character and playfulness to the story as a whole. Just how the Fritz in Joffrey’s rendition was “deliciously spoiled”, so was the young Fritz in FDM’s performance. But, because the studio’s dancers and the children performing in FDM’s production were not at the level of dancing as the dancers who came half way across the country for, it is clear that we would be more drawn to the more experienced performers. Katrina Smith, a friend and fellow dancer who actually performed in FDM’s performance of The Nutcracker agrees with the idea that children performing with the same level of precision as professional dancers is quite an incredible feet and deserves recognition. She also understands how, in her Nutcracker production, the dancers who stand out more are those who have an eminent amount of experience and deserve the praise unlike in Joffrey’s production where “this particular mounting makes use of its juvenile performers, who stand out...from all the scenic lushness, special effects, gorgeous costumes and smart ballet.”
I agree without a doubt that “it’s really the kids who fuel the air of renewal and provide its shiniest magic,” in The Nutcracker; at least in Joffrey’s rendition, according to Sid Smith. This ballet is by far one of the most popular, enchanting, and bewitching stories that most everyone loves to hear, and, if fortunate enough, to see each and every Christmas. And what’s more, it amazes me that it was the children as opposed to the adults that brought the crowd home in Joffrey’s The Nutcracker production, for children are certainly no “strangers to professional dance.”
Smith, Sid. "The Kids Steal the Show at Joffrey's 'Nutcracker'" Rev. of Joffrey's "The Nutcracker" Ballet. Chicago Tribune 10 Dec. 2011: n. pag. Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
The Nutcracker is the same ballet that Sid Smith, a writer for the A&E Tribune, wrote a review on in the month of December in 2011, although he saw Joffrey’s rendition, a highly advanced and professional choreographer and productionist. After reading “The Kids Steal the Show at Joffrey’s ‘Nutcracker’”, I must agree with his report that “probably the most winning is the children,” in this particular production. From what I read in the review, this was a production where the entirety of the dance was performed by professional dancers, young and old alike. It doesn’t surprise me, then, that Smith was so taken away by the young performers’ performance. For children to execute the same amount of precision and adequacy as adults who grow up in the performing world really proves how much work these kids dedicated to put on the production. As Smith states, “A Snow Queen or Sugar Plum Fairy as the star? Not really. Its the youngster disguised as a gingerbread cookie who steals the show.” I apprecitate Smith’s recognition of the children as most people would want to pay more attention to the more experienced dancers.
While the Nutcracker performance that I witnessed was a very well rendition of the enchanting ballet, those who stood out in FDM’s production were the three professional dancers, as opposed to the children. I am not taken aback by this, though, because it makes complete sense that I, as well as most of the audience, gave the standing ovation at the end of the ballet due to the highly experienced performers rather than the less experienced children. I must admit, however, that the children in this production certainly did add character and playfulness to the story as a whole. Just how the Fritz in Joffrey’s rendition was “deliciously spoiled”, so was the young Fritz in FDM’s performance. But, because the studio’s dancers and the children performing in FDM’s production were not at the level of dancing as the dancers who came half way across the country for, it is clear that we would be more drawn to the more experienced performers. Katrina Smith, a friend and fellow dancer who actually performed in FDM’s performance of The Nutcracker agrees with the idea that children performing with the same level of precision as professional dancers is quite an incredible feet and deserves recognition. She also understands how, in her Nutcracker production, the dancers who stand out more are those who have an eminent amount of experience and deserve the praise unlike in Joffrey’s production where “this particular mounting makes use of its juvenile performers, who stand out...from all the scenic lushness, special effects, gorgeous costumes and smart ballet.”
I agree without a doubt that “it’s really the kids who fuel the air of renewal and provide its shiniest magic,” in The Nutcracker; at least in Joffrey’s rendition, according to Sid Smith. This ballet is by far one of the most popular, enchanting, and bewitching stories that most everyone loves to hear, and, if fortunate enough, to see each and every Christmas. And what’s more, it amazes me that it was the children as opposed to the adults that brought the crowd home in Joffrey’s The Nutcracker production, for children are certainly no “strangers to professional dance.”
Smith, Sid. "The Kids Steal the Show at Joffrey's 'Nutcracker'" Rev. of Joffrey's "The Nutcracker" Ballet. Chicago Tribune 10 Dec. 2011: n. pag. Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.