The Chocolate Nutcracker

Welcome back to The Expressionist Magazine

What do you think of when Christmastime is near?  Colored lights, pine trees, traditional carols, crowded malls, and snow covered streets?  Perhaps you conjure up the delight of fres

hly baked cookies, spending time with family and waiting for Santa’s arrival.  For me, the ever classic tale of The Nutcracker always comes to mind.  I remember one of the first times I saw the ballet. I was a little girl, and my mother took me to see it.  I loved the costumes, the dancing and of course, the beautiful music.  For many Christmas seasons to follow, my mother would continue to take me to see the performance.  As an adult, I continue to look forward to the beloved ballet.  The story is timeless and continues to be a part of my holiday tradition today.

Originally written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffman, the popular dance production was called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, and was considered to be quite mor

bid, not exactly something recommended for children.  It was later on revised to a more child friendly version with the help of the French writer, Alexander Dumas Pere.  Pere sparked the interest of Marius Petipa, the senior ballet master of the Russian Imperial Ballet. In 1891, he commissioned Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose the score for a full length version of The Nutcracker.  It debuted the following year in St. Petersburg, Russia. The ballet stayed until 1934, when it appeared in London.  Six years later, it was introduced to the United States in a shorter version.  Then in 1954, choreographer George Balanchine created his famous and well known version of The Nutcracker for the New York City Ballet.  Although the ballet is not as dramatic or scary as it first was written to be, it still embraces the original story.  A little girl’s favorite Christmas toy (the Nutcracker) comes to life and takes her away to a magic, fairy tale land populated by dolls after defeating the evil Mouse King.  This is a tale where reality is lost and imagination prevails.  Sugarplum fairies sparkle, and toy soldiers don red candied cheeks.  It’s make believe, happy and wonderfully written for all ages to enjoy.  However, it is a well known fact that nearly every version of ballet production consists of mostly all Caucasian performers.  LaVerne Reed wanted to change that.

Reed, who grew up in South Philly in the 1950s, studied dance and took on small roles in The Nutcracker in the Pennsylvania Ballet throughout the years.  Reed was always a very talented dancer, but was never cast as Claire (or  Clara), the lead character in the production.  Reed said that when she got older she was going to create and direct her very own version of the classic tale where the dancers could all be of different colors; a multicultural Nutcracker production.  This was Reed’s vision, her dream.  She went on to study dance and theatre at Howard and George Washington Universities, and then later on lead a national dance touring company.  At the age of 39, Reed set out to remake The Nutcracker… her way.  This African-American inspired modern take on the original holiday classic would be called The Chocolate Nutcracker.

Reed’s narrative loosely follows the original version, but unlike the original more Victorian version, the opening party scene is set in 1950s Harlem.  And this is just the first change to the version we all know.  The lead dancer, Claire, has to fight off vicious snakes instead of battling the notorious Mouse King and his army.  Traditional snowflakes are replaced with twinkling starlight generated by a hidden disco ball.  And if you remember the original Nutcracker, there are magical lands including that of the Snow Queen and Candy Land.  In Reed’s version, little girl Claire stops off in more realistic places such as Africa, Egypt and Brazil.  She even visits a street corner where a jazz bassist and saxophonist play a duet.  However, there still is magic involved in each of these places.  Claire explores the “Magical Rainforest,” a place called the “Land of Funk” and “Jazz Land.” The little girl and the Chocolate Nutcracker explore these faraway lands in a dream.  With all their global travels, the duo is introduced to a variety of musical dance genres such as gospel, hip-hop, jazz, modern, tap and ballet.  According to Reed, the whole idea was to incorporate cultural touchstones that would better resonate with minority audiences and incorporate more popular dance styles than just the traditional pointy-toe ballet.

The Chocolate Nutcracker came to life in 1994 on the campus stage at the University of Southern California, and it has been exciting audiences ever since.  Performed throughout the country, the ballet production is selling out to large crowds.  It’s not just the popularity of the show that has grown, but also the amount of dancers involved.  When The Chocolate Nutcracker first got started there were only about 75 dancers, mostly all youngsters.  Today, there are over 200 dancers from the ages of six to twenty-five, along with over 120 adult volunteers.  Quite a few of the children involved with the ballet over the years have endured personal struggles.  Some haven’t had much to go home to.  They may live in high poverty situations or come from broken homes. Instead of getting involved with crime such as using drugs or hanging out on the streets, these children have overcome the odds and taken to dance.  In fact, dancing is their life.  When these youngsters perform, they use every ounce of their heart and soul. Their passion and drive is amazing and it truly emanates in each one of their performances.  In addition, the production is not exclusionary, meaning white children can participate and many ending up doing just that.

The end result of Reed’s dream is nothing short of energetic, fun and different.  It’s a refreshing twist to the original version we all know so well.  Sometimes it is hard to embrace change, but in this case, change is a good thing.  The Chocolate Nutcracker has everything and more that the classic tale does.  So, if you haven’t seen it, be sure to do so this holiday season.

The 12th anniversary show will be shown at the newly renovated Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg, FL, the weekend of December 4-5th, 2009.  For more information, contact www.mahaffeytheater.com.

Mahaffey Theater

401 1st St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701

727-892-5798

Metal Gypsy- Body Language

In the Middle East, Turkey, and even Italy, belly dancing is a way of life for some.  It’s popular all over the world, including Brazil and other South American countries, however, in the United States some people believe this to be a taboo form of dance.  Belly dancing has received a bad label because of the exotic form which is branded “seductive” and also the exposing outfits.  I know this dance is just misunderstood.

For Jennifer, a.k.a. Metal Gypsy, belly dancing is her passion, a passion that started when she was very little.  She first saw the dance at a Renaissance Faire and it was love at first sight.  Since then she has performed for live audiences and now teaches this romantic dance of the gypsy.  We had a chance to interview Jennifer so she could explain what belly dancing is all about, and tell her story for all to read and maybe, just maybe, take the negative tags off this ancient dance.

Besides belly dancing, what other forms of dance have you learned and performed?

I have performed ballet since the age of six, then after ballet during that same time frame, saw a gypsy show at the Renaissance Faire that had many other forms of dancing.  So I went to a class called “Ms. Linda’s.”  (Ms. Linda teaches jazz, tap, and ballet, however, Jennifer “Metal Gypsy” knows and is fluent in swing dancing, but learned elsewhere.)  Right now what I am doing professionally is belly dancing. I started off at the Renaissance Faire, and I performed at other local places, then the word got out and now I do it all over the place. Plus, I love doing it.

Give the history behind belly dancing.  A lot of people misinterpret it, when really it’s an ancient dance that tells a story with your body movement.

Going back further than the Sultans who these women danced for, it was known as a maternity dance as well.  People take it today on a different level as it should be… their fantasy.  Belly dancing, however, is an expression just like any other dance should be.  It became popular around the turn of the century when it became more glitzy and glamorous, and it was used in movies.

Despite the form of belly dancing, there are many unique styles to the dance.  There is Turkish and Bedoan which started being popular in the 20s, and gypsy dancing.  I prefer the Fusion which is a collaboration of each.

There are so many different movements in the art, like gypsies are more open and expressed freely.  Egyptian belly dancing is more finer movements, and many of the watchers may not have the appreciation of it because the movement is refined  and unnoticed.  However, the intense concentration and control needed over your body really makes it the standard for all belly dancing.

In belly dancing, correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t everything from the movements down to the costumes tell a story?  What does it mean?

The costuming today in the theatrical world is more glitz and glam; each style has it’s own style.  Bedoan, for example, has a head dress and dress from head to toe, so they don’t show skin.  It’s not about sexuality, but about performance and expression.  Every single form has costumes, from Tunics who have pants under their skirts. Tribal has Tibetan and Moroccan with different jewelry, and bras with metal going across the front. In cabaret there are more beads and perfect shiny jewels. It just shows that each one has it’s own story and style. In America we’ve made it more sexual with the glitz and glam. Really it’s like back in school, categorizing the jocks from the preps and so forth.

How much discipline goes into this dance form?

Oh, I would say it’s a lot of discipline.  If you don’t already have the natural talent for dancing, it’s best to take classes on the different forms of dancing to try to round yourself to know your body.  For instance, like lifting your arm and really feeling intensely each muscle when you do a snake arm, and doing a body anglation, chest hips then chest hips down. It’s different for each person, and can take a few weeks to master to many years.  Nobody can say they are professional with one class.  Once you can master the dance, then you must also have fun with it just like any theatrical performer.

Do you teach belly dancing?

Yes, I do. I teach children at a very young age to advanced students.  I try to teach them to understand the different styles, and how to coordinate with their body, as well as how to perform.  They must pretend that you are in the audience, and how will they feel when you perform.  You want it to be a clear message; you want to connect with them even if it’s a sad message.  I try to clarify the difference between a “dancer” and a “performer” when I teach.  Anyone can be a dancer, but only those who really want to perform are the performers, but anyone can perform if they want it.

Where have you performed?

I’ve performed my belly dancing at 8:00 theater and then I tried to pursue acting. I was in a movie produced by Andrew Allan.  I go to different restaurants and see if they need a belly dancer there as well, so you may see me in a local restaurant that you favorite.

How did you come up with Metal Gypsy?

I wanted a screen name and I wanted to be unique.  I was a huge metal fan; I love metal music and I’m a gypsy so I coined the name “Metal Gypsy” and that’s what it shall be.

What is your definition of what a gypsy is?

There are two definitions. My alter ego, Sereena, is a character in a band of gypsies that travels around and performs for anyone that wish to drop a couple coins in her hat, as well as try to be the show-off of the group.  In reality gypsies do travel around, and they tend to steal to avoid starving, but they are not evil.  Gypsies can be dangerous, but I am not dangerous.  Well, maybe a little… no, just joking.  I would never trick someone; I would never steal because I am a performing gypsy.

If you want to get to know this wonderful “gypsy” and have her perform her magical theatrical belly dancing moves, check her out at www.myspace.com/metalgypsy or www.deaddollsociety.com

Lyrical Hip-Hop Takes Center Stage

The amazing husband and wife choreography team, Napoleon and Tabitha D’Umo, are taking the hip-hop routines on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” to an all new level. What is completely different about their routines is that they are no longer just tricks and hitting hard; they mean something. There is a story to be told, emotions to be felt, and a floor for viewers’ jaws to hit.

Each week, my favorite routines have either been their contestants or included their contestants. One week it was a soldier leaving his wife to go to war, another routine was a pair doing a jailbreak, and a husband leaving his wife to go to work, but it was breaking her heart.

Tonight was the first time I had heard the term, “lyrical hip-hop,” but it struck me as a profound category. Some of my favorite routines on the show have been the free-style genres, like jazz, hip-hop, Krump, and the occasional contemporary. What was always lacking from hip-hop and Krump was any sort of audience connection, other than pushing pants lower and turning ball caps to the side and screaming wildly. I admit that I can get plenty riled up with a great hip-hop, but it’s purely for the “wow” factor and the energy level. Emotions are cool, though.

The hitting is still there, and the popping is just as strong as any dance routine, but there is an emotional bond between the performers and the audience. Gone are the days where the viewers will be satisfied to have seen a bunch of hot tricks and steps strung together…

That’s how it is in my book anyway.