VERO BEACH — Vero Classical Ballet is holding auditions for their 6th annual production of The Nutcracker.
Auditions will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 12:30-2 p.m., at 3705 16th St. in Vero Beach.
The cost is $90, which covers performance/costume fee for one role; $30 for each additional role. No limit on number of roles. Dancers have done as many as four.
Dancers and non dancers alike, ages 4 to adult, are all welcome. Several roles require no previous dance experience, such as mice, soldiers, angels, party parents, boys and girls, men and women.
Performance date and place will be Saturday, Nov. 30. There will be two shows, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
The production was choreographed by Vero Classical Ballet’s director Barry Trammell.
Barry and his wife Amy Trammell (co-director) typically dance in the production along with one or more of their 3 children: Dorian, Dane, and Anya.
The production is a truly traditional version, which is rare outside of Russia. Vero Classical Ballet strives to stay in keeping with the style of Tchaikovsky’s music in Act I.
This style evokes the era between the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era. A fashion of exaggerated opulence was popular with the Nouveau riche, and that is what the parent dances of Act I best represent.
Typical productions that you see will set Act I in a Victorian Era, which was more rigid and authoritative and does not match the music.
Vero Classical Ballet also stays in keeping with the regal deportment and formality required for much of Act II. This allows a special educational opportunity for those involved in the cast who may not otherwise be exposed to such nuances.
The Nutcracker was originally performed on Dec. 18, 1892, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The production was not a success, but the score was made into a “suite” and was popular.
The Christmas tradition of the Nutcracker is primarily a U.S. phenomenon which began in the 1960’s.
Major ballet companies in the U.S. get 40% of their ticket revenue from The Nutcracker.