Dance by Design

November 05, 2012 at 3:12 PM

Not since 1996 and many pounds ago, did I put on a pair of ballet slippers and step onto a stage. Sure there was a brief stint teaching tap and jazz to struggling Broadway dancers in New York City (I had to prove that dance minor at SUNY Fredonia was worth it) but as many former dancers know, once you get into your chosen career, there’s little time to keep the passion alive that inspired many weekday nights and Saturday mornings in the dance studio.

This holiday season I will be revisiting this affection as one of the grown-up performers in The Greater Niagara Ballet Company production of “The Nutcracker”. This two-act ballet with the well-known score by Tchaikovsky, will be presented December 7 and 8 at the Performing Arts Center at Niagara Falls High School (4455 Porter Rd., Niagara Falls, NY, USA).

A holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker” takes place on Christmas Eve when family and friends gather in a late-1800s era parlor to admire the beautiful Christmas tree and enjoy the night’s festivities. The party hits a sour note when the leading role of Clara receives a toy wooden nutcracker and a mischievous little boy breaks it. During the night Clara returns to the parlor to find the Nutcracker life-sized and interacting with the Gingerbread men, mice and dolls! The storyline continues into the second act which takes place in the Land of the Sweets.

I quickly learned at last week’s rehearsal that one is never too old to return to the barre or do a folk dance on stage. As we age, our bodies may not recover as fast but experience does bring more to an artist’s craft.  Besides, isn’t it just for fun? Not every aging ballerina has to end up like Winona Ryder in Black Swan.

In the costume shop

Michelle Blackley will be blogging weekly up until the performance of “The Nutcracker”. For more information about performances and tickets, visit www.niagaraballet.org/.

Michelle Blackley

Michelle Blackley is the Communications Manager at Niagara Tourism & Convention Corporation (NTCC). Besides having the pleasure of calling Western New York home, Michelle has lived throughout New York State, including New York City, and abroad in Dublin, Ireland. A Niagara County native, she is a globetrotter at heart. With a background in journalism, book publishing and publicity, she explores Niagara County to report its happenings on the Niagara USA blog. Please contact Michelle at michelle@niagara-usa.com or follow her @shellblackley.