November 30, 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Class in the morning and then we went over the Nutcracker lecture demo. We will be doing it three times in the next two weeks. It features a shortened version of the Nutcracker. In the past we have done it with either a small group or the full company. This year, I chose to utilize the full company to keep the group dynamic strong. So I changed the ending slightly. Normally, its just the Waltz of the Flowers and Sugar Plum and Cavalier. This year, all of the variations come running back in for a big finish.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Dress Rehearsal in the evening went relatively well. It was raining so we had to redirect the kids pathway from dressing room to the stage, but apart from that not much to report. The ending of the party scene is being played a bit slower than usual so I have to come up with extra business for myself ad the Nutcracker Prince. We had an inordinate amount of "fog" onstage last night when the X-mas Tree was growing. It was at least 3 1/2 feet high. So we kept "losing" Clara as she ran around the stage.
As always costumes need minor alterations. Some of the younger dancers will be appearing in a parade tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will change for them.

November 29, 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Tech rehearsal at the Birch Theatre today.
After a delay in starting, we spaced out most of the first act scenes without the orchestra. As we were about to begin the snow scene, the orchestra was ready to go.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
So we went back to the top and worked our way through with them. Just a few tempos we needed to fix. We also had to take a break to go back and space out the baby mice and toy soldiers on the stage.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
As I was sitting downstairs munching on a Chicken Little sandwich from KFC (I don't indulge much, but every once in a while...) I heard the Finale music start to play. It seems they had decided to run the Finale once so that the younger children could go home as soon as their variations were done. But no one mentioned it to everyone who was downstairs. Oh well, after a mad scramble we made it up in time.

The Birch is rather small backstage, so it takes a very coordinated effort to make sure that the dancers, and the kids, and the sets move on and off seamlessly. Or at least that no one's toes get crunched.

November 28, 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Put some girls in new places for the upcoming weekend performances. Started working on the Lecture Demonstratation. We have two in December. So all of the newbies got to learn the joy of the Lecture Barre, Going Across The Floor, Build A Ballet, etc.
The company seemed a bit down, so had a little heart to heart about expectations.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Also attended a celebration for Victoria Hamilton's tenure at the Commission for Arts and Culture. So I got to see all of the old guard and familiar faces. Cheese trays and crabcrakes.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Then had to go back to the studio to teach my adult ballet class. We did a little work on getting in touch with our core muscles to keep us up while balancing, as well as breaking down the difference between glissade, jete, and assemble.

November 27, 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Getting Back into the San Diego Swing of things. Today, the dancers had a day off... but I did not.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Taught at Florence Elementary School. The 3rd graders are actually getting a good concept of turn out, but they aren't very self aware. Every year, its a little different. This year's group is a nice crop, but they just don't seem to be able to retain info, like knowing their right from their left. Ah well, that's this year's challenge.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Then came back to the studio to clear up some tickets for Big Brothers and Sisters, get an ad off to Performances Magazine, and an electronic copy of a Free Day of Dance flyer off to San Diego Dance Theatre. Also, the schedule for the upcoming week.

November 26, 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Travel Day. Bye Bye Billings thank you for the lovely stay, the great local talent, and the support of the staff at the Billings Symphony and Alberta Bair Theatre.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Nice flight to Denver (no bumps). Then our flight to San Diego was delayed and hour and was not as smooth. Oh, well I managed to finish reading a biography of famous movie star dog, Rin Tin Tin.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
The San Diego Airport is still being redone, so it was a bit of a mess getting out. But safe and sound at home with the doggie.

November 25, 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Second show in Billings, Montana today. Matinee. Again sold out and a very enthusiastic audience. The same errant Sugarbabe needed to be corralled off stage again at the end of Act Two.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
All in all, a nice visit. It even snowed in the morning for all the new company members who aren't used to coming here in the winter.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
I am pretty sure the dancers will be going out tonight and celebrating. After all, they have most of the evening. And all of the restaurants and bars are only two blocks from the hotel. As for me, I shall blissfully hole up in my hotel room.

November 24, 2012

SDB Nutcracker 20112 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Had our Montana Nutcracker dress rehearsal in the early afternoon. I had to run a clean up rehearsal with the toy soldiers before we started and managed to clear a few things up. The dress went pretty well and then off to a quick submarine sandwich at JJ's.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
The show itself was sold out. :)
1416 happy Billings residents attended.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg

We had an errant sugarbabe (around 5 years old). She leads the line of 12 little ballerinas (also 5 years old) at the end of the show and keeps wanting to wander upstage towards the throne, instead of offstage. Between myself and the cavalier, we managed to get her pointed in the right direction.

Oh, well. Tomorrow we are supposed to have a whole new cast of kids. More excitement.

November 23 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Flew to Billings, Montana with the company bright and early. Foggy. We were all at the airport at 6:30 for an 8:30 flight,  had a quick transfer to a little plane in Denver and landed safely.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
Had a spacing rehearsal with the local kids and the ran through the show with the orchestra. Long day. Got reacquainted with my Drosselmeyer cape, but decided to wait another day to put on the Cuban heels.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo: Manny Rotenberg
So we are back at the Dude Rancher Lodge (with the branding iron carpeting). Ah home away from home. And even better, Chobani has started making Lemon flavored Greek yogurt again! Huzzah! It makes it so much easier to stay on a diet.

November 22 2012

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo by Manny Rotenberg

Happy Thanksgiving! Had a lovely lunch in Julian with old friends. Took me as long to drive up as it did to eat and then the same coming back. But it was a lovely drive through the San Diego backcountry.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo by Manny Rotenberg

Tomorrow, the company goes to Montana. Most of the younger roles are being performed by students from Billings, but we can't always find young dancers to fill all the roles. And when that happens we need to bring some along with us from San Diego. This year, we will be bringing our young Nutcracker Prince (Fernando) along. He is seen in these two pics from last year performing the part of the Toy Soldier in Act One.

Returning to Blogging

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo by Manny Rotenberg.

Yes, Its time to come back to blogging.

Life got a bit hectic. So we are getting ready to go off to Montana with Nutcracker again.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo by Manny Rotenberg.
I'll retro post on the past show and what we have been doing up until now. We had a run through today of the show. Everything seems to be in good shape. The oddest part of rehearsal during the day is doing the Act One Party scene. Without the children the "parents" just sort of have to imagine the kids running around.

SDB Nutcracker 2011 Photo by Manny Rotenberg.
So to save time, we actually do some of it in fast motion.