Ballet

Tupelo Ballet moves ‘The Nutcracker’ to arena, takes pandemic safety precautions | Lifestyle

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TUPELO • Amazon in its latest Christmas commercial features a talented ballerina who earns the lead role in her ballet school’s winter show. The teen, however, is devastated when the performance is canceled due to COVID-19.

The dancer’s family and friends rally to lift her spirits, organizing a nighttime production on a snowy rooftop so she can realize her dream of being the star of the show.

When Sharon Long saw the two-minute version of the commercial, titled “The Show Must Go On,” she thought about the students in her Tupelo dance studio who were unable to perform in their springtime production and recital because of the spreading pandemic.

It made Long, the artistic director of Tupelo Ballet, even more determined to make sure the company’s annual performance of “The Nutcracker” goes on as scheduled.

“We’re going to perform,” Long said. “These kids want to dance, and these parents want to see them dance. I think it’s the best way to start off the Christmas season.”

Tupelo Ballet’s 38th annual presentation of “The Nutcracker” will be Dec. 4-5 at BancorpSouth Arena, marking the first time the arena has hosted the popular holiday event. Three performances are scheduled, one on Friday, Dec. 4, and two on Saturday, Dec. 5.

The North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, in its first appearance since early this year, will perform live during the Dec. 5 shows.

With three performances scheduled, Long said COVID-19 safety guidelines will be emphasized.

“Everybody has to wear a mask. We may have people taking temperatures when they come in,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep everybody safe.”

For many, the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without seeing Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Rat King, the Nutcracker Prince and other characters in “The Nutcracker.”

The story revolves around Clara, a young girl who receives a Nutcracker doll at her family’s Christmas party. After falling asleep with her doll, she awakens to find herself in the middle of a fight between rats and mice and toy soldiers. Later she goes on a long magical journey to the Kingdom of Snow and the Land of Sweets.

But dance companies across the country have canceled “Nutcracker” performances this year due to COVID-19 concerns. Some are turning to livestreaming or drive-in theater showings.

Long said canceling “The Nutcracker” was out of the question, especially after the heartbreaking decision to cancel the ballet’s spring production of “Sleeping Beauty” plus her Tupelo Academy of Dance Arts recital.

“If you could have seen the emotional disappointment of those kids who had been working since January to put on that show,” Long recalled. “I wasn’t able to do a recital, and all my kids and parents were so disappointed when you work so hard and somebody pulls the rug out from underneath you.”

Mary Conlee Wilson, one of the company’s high school senior dancers, remembers the disappointment.

“It was sad because we worked really hard through the year and didn’t get to perform like we wanted to,” she said.

Annelise Fagan, one of the sixth-graders who’ll share the role of Clara, also expressed her sadness.

“I was very upset,” she said. “We worked very hard to get there, and all of this happened.”

When Tupelo Ballet committed to a “Nutcracker” performance this year, it had to find a new location since the Tupelo High School Performing Arts Center is restricted to school-use only during the pandemic. That’s when BancorpSouth Arena entered the scene to host the production.

Kevan Kirkpatrick, the arena’s director of marketing, said the venue’s Broadway stage and seating configuration that have been used for previous touring productions like “Cats” and “Jersey Boys” will be an ideal place for “Nutcracker.” The people attending will be spread out over the sections on the south end of the arena for social distancing.

Long said the arena and Billy Armstrong, who operates a local sound and production company, have provided stage and technical support to aid the ballet company for the production.

“They’re really working hard at the arena, and I take my hat off for them, to give us the technical needs we need,” she said. “They have been so good to us.”

Caroline Michael, a senior dancer with the company, said it will feel different being in the arena this year.

“We haven’t seen it,” she said. “We’re so used to being at the high school in our own dressing rooms together. I think it’s going to be interesting to see how backstage will be at BancorpSouth Arena.”

The second Clara in the production, Caroline Kahlstorf, said she never imagined performing in a huge venue like BancorpSouth Arena.

“It’s different, but it’s still amazing,” she said. “It feels really good to get to dance.”

“The Nutcracker” cast will perform at 10 a.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Friday performance, Long said, has in the past been reserved for school students. But because most students are restricted from attending outside events this year, the Friday performance has been opened up for general admission.

Tickets are $20 for the Friday performance. For Saturday’s shows, it’s $30 for adults, $20 for senior adults and $15 for students. Seating is limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. Tickets are available online at the ballet’s website, tupeloballet.com, or by calling (662) 844-1928.

Saturday’s performances will include the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra accompanying the ballet with the familiar Tchaikovsky score. The orchestra also had spring shows canceled due to the pandemic.

“(NMSO conductor Steven Byess) is very excited about coming,” Long said. “They’ve got this huge area on the arena floor, and they’re going to be spread out so they won’t be on top of each other.”

In addition to the many local dancers and actors taking the stage, the “Nutcracker” cast will be joined by Arkansas Ballet dancers Aldrin Vendt and Paul and Megan Tillman.

Long said the ballet’s holiday bake sale and boutique hosted in conjunction with the performance will not take place this year.

“With the logistics so different of going into BancorpSouth Arena anyway, we want to focus on the show,” she said.

Rehearsals for “Nutcracker” began in September, and Long said her dance studio has been enforcing strict guidelines to protect the dancers. They have worn masks, and parents were asked to wait in their cars during rehearsals.

Madison Denton, a senior company dancer, said they want avoid another cancelation similar to the one this past spring.

“It threw us off track, but at the end of the day I’d rather be safe than sorry,” she said. “Hopefully, with this ‘Nutcracker’ we can live out what we couldn’t live out last spring.”

Another senior dancer, Addie Kate O’Brian, is glad for an opportunity to get back on stage.

“I think I’m so grateful that we’re able to do this, taking precautions and everything because we didn’t get to do our spring performances,” she said. “I feel like this one is the one special thing we all look forward to every year, and it’s so exciting.”

Long said she wants this year’s “Nutcracker” to go on for the benefit of those who will be performing in it.

“It’s not about me. I’m backstage. This is about these kids,” she said “They want this. They need this. They need some normalcy in their lives, and they’ve been working since September. They want to perform.”

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