McALLEN — Whether a tradition or a new experience, many Rio Grande Valley residents gathered here to witness the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker,” for a milestone performance Saturday that was half a century in the making.
As the lights in the auditorium dimmed and the clock struck 3 p.m., showtime, the crowd sat in awe while members of the cast and former cast members joined on stage to introduce the audience to the show. Then, the first two ballerinas made their way to the center of the stage to applause, a festive background set the scene for this holiday dance with a Christmas tree serving as the backdrop.
Costumes shimmered as shades of purple, blue, teal, red, green and peach colored the scene as one by one each dancer made their way onto the stage. Some twirled while others pranced around the stage creating the iconic dance sequence.
The McAllen Performing Arts Center hosted “The Nutcracker” this weekend for performances held with special significance as it celebrated the show’s 50th anniversary.
According to Deborah Case, artistic director of the Rio Grande Valley Ballet, in honor of the 50th anniversary, this year’s performance included various changes to the choreography and costumes.
It also included something that she believes adds to the emotions of the performance. An orchestra.
“The most special part of all in this show, and hopefully for the future shows, we are performing to a live orchestra,” Case said, adding that having a live orchestra has been a dream of hers since the start of her career. In fact, it’s the first time an orchestra accompanies the show locally.
Norman Gamboa, orchestra director at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, agreed with Case saying that the live music adds another dimension to the production.
“Nutcracker is the biggest representation of what the holidays are all about and for me, it is a piece of music that never ever gets old,” Gamboa said with adoration for the composition. “People get to feel the vibrations of the music, the interaction between the music and the dance … all these variants create this unique element that is brought to a live performance.”
The orchestra is made of 27 musicians, many of whom are university students, both current and alumni.
For Gamboa, this is an opportunity to show Valley residents the beauty of classical music.
Not only are they including live music but it will also include a choir performing a piece from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s score for “The Nutcracker.”
The choir section is directed by Carol Brown at the end of act one.
Valley performers also participated in the ballet and make up the entire cast of 106, many of whom were rehearsing backstage just moments before the curtains opened.
The alumni cast were there too, some were reunited for the first time since they last performed together years ago. Some now have families. Some consider their former cast mates as family.
They were all there to celebrate “The Nutcracker’s” milestone.
“There is a lot of talent here in the Valley, all it takes is a willing teacher to see that talent and harness it,” Case said.
She explained that although rehearsals for “The Nutcracker” began in the summer ballet performers are constantly practicing their art.
“It takes constant training, kinda like any athlete, you have to keep your craft strong,” Case said, noting that ballet is physically demanding. “With the Nutcracker, I would say maybe it was 10 hours a week we put in but we started in the summer with an intensive workshop in the month of June.”
She also spoke of how “The Nutcracker” continues to delight audiences for generations.
Whether in the Valley or across the nation, Case said it’s a classic anywhere, and for good reason.
“It is a timeless piece,” Case said, adding that the colorful performance has a little bit of everything for everyone. “It has a little bit of drama, it has comedy, it has fun, and it has a lot of inspiration in it for the dancer or for just any person watching the show.”
“The Nutcracker” performs again at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Performing Arts Center, located at 801 Convention Center Blvd. in McAllen. Tickets will be available at the box office.
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Delcia Lopez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Nutcracker’s 50th brings performance firsts to McAllen with elegance and grace
