Mercer Island Youth’s Ballet “Excerpts from the Nutcracker” is a timeless testament to the magic of the holiday season; from glittering costumes to the captivating craftsmanship of the set design to the stellar dancing itself, there’s a clear reason for its annual raving review.
The ballet was performed from Dec. 13-17, and while I was only an audience member for the Green Cast, I can attest to the exemplary nature of every aspect, starring MIHS’s very own seniors Rachel Trethaway and Madison Sieckhaus as the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy, respectively, in this cast.
“The performers were very talented and there was great choreography,” senior Sadie Kim said. I shared this sentiment, and a ton of work went into the dazzling performance behind the scenes.
According to Sieckhaus, rehearsals started later than usual, on Oct. 17, continuing on for about eight weeks of hard work, although there were only six practices on stage and one dress rehearsal.
“The rehearsal period typically involves rehearsals in smaller groups and then adding everyone in. For example, soloists would learn their roles first, the corps separately, and then everyone would come together closer to the show, figuring out spacing, timing, dancing together, etc,” she explained. “I wasn’t in the party, but it’s typically the most difficult to rehearse because it’s really long, there are a ton of young kids who have trouble picking up choreography and musicality and there are just a lot of characters and a lot of props who each have a different role.”
Although the ages of the performers varied from elementary to high school, each demonstrated a high level of dedication to their craft.
“Being able to dance as the Sugar Plum Fairy in my senior year is kind of a full circle moment and really inspiring because I get to be someone that the younger dancers look up to, including myself when I was an angel,” Sieckhaus commented.
All in all, this visually stunning embodiment of winter delighted its audience, and I recommend buying your tickets in advance for next year’s show.
