Inside The Nutcracker with Patricia Delgado

Post by Principal Dancer Patricia Delgado

It’s Nutcracker time again! This year marks the 20th Season that Miami City Ballet is performing George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™.

Every year we kick-start our Nutcracker run in Naples, Florida. We pack up our cars and drive across Alligator Alley and hope that our Thanksgiving meals won’t weigh us down! I brought the “Flip cam” with me and tried to capture the spirit of Miami City Ballet’s first Nutcracker weekend of the 09-10 Season.

There is something very special about performing The Nutcracker. It is one of the only ballets in which the Company collaborates with children. Their enthusiasm is infectious. Even though some of us have been performing in The Nutcracker for years, for some of the kids, it is their first time out on stage. Watching their smiles light up as they dance reminds me what performing is all about and takes me back to when I was a kid, dancing the “hoops” and dreaming of one day being the Sugar Plum Fairy!

Being on the dancer’s side of things, I know how much time and effort it takes us to focus on our goal of performing as perfectly as possible. However, after running around the theater with the “Flip cam”, it truly made me realize what a huge team effort it takes to put on this show! I gained a whole new perspective. I hope you enjoy all of the different aspects of the theater…from the dancers to the stage manager, the lighting director, the crew and the makeup and wardrobe ladies.

The holidays are such a magical time of year and being a part of The Nutcracker magic just enhances the joy!