The true actual story of how a virtual performance of the the Nutcracker ballet was organized and run at the height of the COVID pandemic.
Hi everyone, today I am doing a blog article I am super excited about. If you didn’t know I have been a dancer since 8th grade. I fell in love with dance and it has changed my life. This fall I had the amazing opportunity to be in my first dance show with an actual ballet dance company. Previously, all my performances were either through clubs or school. I hadn’t danced with an actual company. It was such an amazing experience I wanted to share it with you guys.
Finding Out About the Nutcracker Virtual Ballet Performance
Right before the semester started at college, I learned about a virtual performance of the Nutcracker ballet that the LA Unbound dance company was organizing. There was no audition required so anyone could join no matter how much experience you had. This was also a non traditional nutcracker which was also interesting . We did not have a ballet section which is typical for the Nutcracker. We had tap, musical theater, modern, jazz, and hip hop. Rehearsals would run from late September through the end of November. At the end of November when rehearsals ended we were supposed to film ourselves doing our dance that we had been learning throughout the 3 months. We would then send our video to professional editors. I decided that I was not going to register right away and see what my school schedule looked like before committing to 3 months of dance. We did not need to register till September so I had some time.
Picking Out a Dance Style
All the dance choreographers involved in this were posting samples of their choreography on Instagram. I knew right away that I wanted to do hip hop because that is the style I am most comfortable with and have been doing for the longest. I still was interested in seeing the other pieces as well just out of curiosity and to learn about this project.
Registering For the Dance
I registered for the dance at the end of September. I was so excited about this amazing opportunity to do something I had never done before. That same weekend I got an email that group rehearsals would start the next week. I was so excited to get started.
Group Rehearsals
We had weekly group rehearsals on Wednesday nights at 7 pm. Every week we learned a new part of the dance and went over what we already knew to review. It was really hard to learn dances over zoom. It is a lot easier with in person instruction where we can be with the teacher. I had to do a lot of practice on my own.
Personal Rehearsal
In addition to group rehearsals I had to rehearse on my own as well. I needed to do this so I would not forget anything during the week. There were a lot of hard steps so I had to continually rehearse in order to memorize everything. I rehearsed twice a week on my own and watched tutorial videos that my choreographer made to help me memorize.
Designing Costume
The costume requirements were white top, denim jacket, black pants, and black shoes. Hair and makeup I got to pick. I tried about a bunch of makeup looks and hairstyles until I found the perfect one. I ended up loving my costume so much. I especially loved the white lace top I picked. It was one of my favorite costumes that I have ever had for dance performances.
Personal Rehearsal
The week before the filming I had a personal rehearsal with my choreographer and she told me what I needed to improve on before filming. I worked on her suggestions throughout the week when I rehearsed on my own.
Filming Day
It was the day of filming. I was so excited. I did my hair, makeup, nails, got into my and then went to my dad’s place to film. It took a few takes to get perfect but eventually I got it. I was so happy that I was going to be a part of something so special.
Premier day
December 18th was the premier. I had been looking forward to this for a while. I was so happy to finally see the final product all put together. I felt so proud of everyone that was a part of this project. It felt really good to see me in the dance I had worked so hard on for so long.
Being in the nutcracker was such an amazing experience. It is something I will never forget. If you want to watch the performance here is the link. If you want to watch the performance here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN50U0u78yI. My dance is at 7:23. Have a happy New Years and see you next time.
