Backstage at the Nutcracker Suite

**Nick** · 4th December 06, 05:43 PM

Last weekend my wife and I took part in a production of the Nutcracker Suite, put on by the NMU Dance Company. We're both alumns, but there were people from outside the dance company who participated as well.

This is a Nutcracker unlike any other. The director/choreographer is a ballet/highland/etc. instructor at NMU, and Highland dances competetively. Her husband was my best man, and is a profesional makeup artist and does a lot of other things as well. He was Herr Drosselmeyer, though the character didn't really have a name in our production. Instead of mice and tin soldiers, we have goblins and Scots, with different music and dances than the traditional (though some of the actual Nutcracker pieces are still in. Some are the original, and some are different versions.)

Cassie and I were the King and Queen (Clara's parents), and we wore our wedding attire. We were only in the first scene, the Party Scene, but we did two dances and got to watch three others.

This is me backstage taking a quick break. I only wore the Montrose, plaid and jabot during the scene and at curtain, otherwise I left them off. To hot and stuffy back there!

**Panache** · 4th December 06, 06:27 PM

Nick,

It sounds like a lot of fun! You and your wifewere fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in it (I bet you both did great). I am very curious. I have only done Scottish country dance, not Highland dance. Which pieces of the original did they keep? Did they modify the Tchaikovsky originals to fit jig time? It all sounds very cool.

Cheers

**Nick** · 4th December 06, 07:01 PM

Panache,

There was country dancing in the party scene, but no Highland this year. I danced the sword dance last year, but things were changed this year (we don't want to duplicate what we did last year). There was ballet, modern dance, jazz dance, country dance, and some Renaissance dancing.

It's fun to watch Deb's choreography, and the choreography of the students (some did their own for their pieces). Deb threw in the leg shake from Scottish Highland dance into the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, which was fun.