Every other year Newton Dance Connections hosts an engaging performance of the popular two-act classical ballet, The Nutcracker. Krehbiel Auditorium, on the Bethel College campus, hosted the show this year on Saturday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 10. Some Newton High School students participated in the show, playing a variety of different roles. Tickets were available to purchase for $15 for an adult and $10 for a child. There were two showings of the performance on Saturday, one at 2 p.m. and another at 7 p.m., as well as another showing on Sunday at 2 p.m.
On Aug. 27, NDC held auditions for the show, which was available for ages four and up. Junior Rileigh Hankins said the audition process is easy. They go in different age groups and show off different styles of dance.
“You start with showing ballet because The Nutcracker is a typical ballet performance,” Hankins said. “And we have had auditions for tap and tumbling parts. We go in order based on what they want specifically that year.”
After the results of auditions are announced, the dancers typically have practices every Sunday leading up to the show from 1-5 p.m. Junior Iris Whitlock said they do not have as much prep time for this show compared to other performances.
“I’m making sure that my body is ready and I’m stretching properly and my feet are warmed up because I’m in both acts,” Hankins said. “So in order to keep myself going through the entire show, I want to make sure that my body is properly prepared.”
Families can be in the show together because of the variety of skills needed for certain roles. For example, Krystyna Botterweck and her husband Jarrod Botterweck played the role of Party Parents while their daughters, Hayden, Macee and Jordyn Botterweck, also danced in the show. Hankins said that The Nutcracker is not a typical performance because it is common for productions to take their variation of the play.
“Nutcracker went well. We had three shows and they were mostly sold out. Sunday was sold out and the others were close,” junior Kennedy Seidl said.
The performance contains two acts full of a combination of ballet, tap and acro styles. The last scene in the first half is the famous “Snow Scene,” by the end of the scene, the dancers are performing with snow falling from the top of the stage.
“The first two nights were really good,” Whitlock said. “Except for on the first night the music stopped during the Snow Scene. But overall all the shows were pretty good.”
Dancers of all ages can participate in the performance although you will normally see older girls take on main roles such as The Nutcracker, Sugar Plum Fairy or the Snow Queen. Seniors and juniors involved in the show will typically dance their last Nutcracker performance together because of the timing of the show.
“This is my seventh and final Nutcracker as a high schooler,” Hankins said. “I think what I’m really looking forward to is building the last memories on stage and having a performance that means the most to me.”