Photo by Howard Owens
Not only will the Elba community be hosting Rochester City Ballet for a seasonal treat of “The Nutcracker Suite” this weekend, but the students have already been able to nibble on portions of the professional troupe’s theatrics while preparing for its debut at Elba High School’s auditorium, Superintendent Gretchen Rosales says.
After GO Art! Executive Director Gregory Hallock found out that his other venue option was booked for the show earlier this year, he reached out to Elba because of its beautiful stage and venue at the school, Rosales said. When she was asked whether she’d consider hosting Rochester City Ballet, it was a most definite yes.
“The arts are a wonderful addition to any community, and I’m very proud of our school, and so, to be able to host them here was an easy decision. And it’s been so fun for our own kids to see how a big production like this takes place. So it’s been great, and it’s been super fun,” Rosales said. “They’ve been here all week (rehearsing) and been in and out the past month or so. Their technical director met with our technical director. (Dancers Shannon Rodriguez and Megan Kamler) did a presentation to our student body, they showed them snippets of the dance but also read the Nutcracker story to them. It was super, it was interactive and a lot of participation from the audience.”
For anyone unfamiliar with that story, it features Clara, a young girl who ventures from her bedroom into the wondrous realm of The Land of Sweets. In this magical wonderland, there are graceful waltzing flowers, twirling snowflakes, and a captivating transformation of enchanted toys.
The Nutcracker and Tchaikovsky’s hypnotic score go hand in hand for a timeless piece of choreography and a classic tale told through leaps and bounds in a mesmerizingly colorful, and graceful, yet athletic, performance.
There are no Elba Central students in the performance itself, but some of them will be supporting the tech people, and about a handful will be ushers during the shows, Rosales said.
“For me, it was important to be able to say yes, we would host them. We’re not charging for rehearsal space, we’re not charging them for the time in which they’ve been in the building, because this is a big opportunity for the community to be able to support in that way and just say yes, we have this ability," she said. "And they loved it. They said, you really have the most beautiful school, you have such a beautiful auditorium. And it's really breathtaking to see the backdrops that they've put up for their presentation and to see how our space was transformed for something of this professional capacity, so it's been great, a great experience.
“There’s been a lot of excitement for it. Students were able to see a part of the presentation ahead of time and said to their parents, get me tickets!"
All students, from universal pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, were invited to participate in the presentation, and learn how props are brought in and managed, and how backdrops and sets are put up, she said. Other lessons have included make-up and costumes, which might just come in handy for Elba’s own upcoming spring show, “The Little Mermaid,” in March.
It has been a special opportunity for “those that have been bitten by the acting and performing bug,” to be watching in the wings, excited to see what a different kind of production looks like, she said.
Elba students met students involved in ballet who are in the show, and they have talked to one another about the different elements involved in such a production and asked questions about how they got involved in dance, she said.
“So it’s been a neat cultural experience,” she said. “It’s just been a great experience overall.”
This event was funded in part by the Oliver G. And Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, facilitated by GO Art! Performances are at 6 p.m. Friday, 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the school auditorium, 57 S. Main St., Elba.
Tickets are $10 to $20 and may be purchased HERE.
