‘The Nutcracker’ goes virtual
Little Ballet Theatre carries on tradition with a pandemic twist
BY ZOË BUCHLI
Stream ‘The Nutcracker’
After a brief hiatus, the Little Ballet The-
atre is back with its 46th production of “The
Nutcracker.”
This year’s rendition will look a little
diff erent than previous performances — it
will be an all-virtual event, pre-recorded on
video. The ballet will be recorded in seg-
ments, edited and uploaded onto Broadway
On Demand where guests can view it at
their leisure with the purchase of a ticket.
According to artistic director Jeanne
Peterson, this year’s version will look dif-
ferent in some ways due to the corona-
virus pandemic. Primarily, instead of a
full-length, traditional version, the 2021
performance will take more of an excerpt-
style approach.
“(The dancers) are just thrilled to be
doing it again,” Peterson said. “There’s
more focus than ever before because they
just want to do it so badly. Everybody was
lost last year without it. ”
Available for viewing Friday through Dec. 25
Ticket information is available only at 503-
861-1971
DVD purchase information available at
maddoxdancers.com
Rehearsals started in early October, and
dancers practiced every Saturday for about
seven hours. Dancers for a snow scene and
“Waltz of the Flowers” practiced during
the week as well, spending about 15 to 20
hours in rehearsals each week.
Peterson explained that the cast size has
been reduced to allow for social distancing
behind the scenes. Normally , 35 to 40 danc-
ers were a part of the party scene, but only
28 performers will appear in that portion of
the show this year.
See Page 9
Akiko Miller
Dancers play the roles of Clara and the Nutcracker Prince in the Little Ballet Theater’s
production of ‘The Nutcracker.’
Akiko Miller
Dancer Maddie Jo Dielman will play the role of puppet in one scene of ‘The Nutcracker.’
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