Dancing with cameras: Orland ballet troupe’s ‘Nutcracker’ moves beyond the theater as online offering

The Chicago Tribune
By Bill Jones
Daily Southtown | Dec 16, 2020 at 11:41 AM

Just as “The Nutcracker” is a beloved holiday tradition around the world, “Beyond the Nutcracker” has been an annual favorite for Orland Park’s Ballet 5:8. But a unique year that has presented unique challenges is leading to a new spin on an old favorite.

Ballet 5:8 is just days into a run of its version of a Christmas classic that’s venturing into the online realm for the first time.

While the studio has in the past emphasized that ballet is an art form best experienced in person, Ballet 5:8 saw an opportunity to bring holiday cheer to more people in what has been a time of extended isolation for many. The studio is trying to make the most of it by taking advantage of the medium’s differences from live theater.

Abi Gardner, studio manager for Ballet 5:8, said the filmed performance was adapted “to be more immersive, so the online viewer can feel more a part of what is happening on stage versus when you watch at the theater.”

The student company at the Orland Park studio got an assist from the professionals in filming a full-length version of “Beyond the Nutcracker” at the studio. Instead of just a head-on view of a stage, cameras move on stage with the dancers, giving viewers the opportunity to take in the performance from angles not typically possible in a traditional setting.

Ford Tackett, who is part of Ballet 5:8′s second company and portrays Uncle Abrahms, said this year’s performance was a much different experience — at times a more difficult one — than previous productions. Much of dance is about flow, that constant motion, but filming requires starts and stops. That can make it hard to keep up the emotional intensity of a scene, he said. And they are no longer playing to a live crowd.

“We definitely need to be conscious of the cameras,” Tackett said.

But Kayla Kowach, who dances as Anastasis, said that lack of a crowd comes with a silver lining.

“I think the filming is easier to focus on your fellow dancers,” she said.

For Kowach, that camaraderie is even more important in a year where people have been starved for human connection. Kowach decided to forgo what would have been a strange start to college this year to focus instead on dance. She started the fall season as a trainee with Ballet 5:8 and was promoted to the second company for the spring.

For her, “I think it’s created that sense of normalcy,” she said.

Sophia Snider, who plays Maria, has plenty of points to compare and contrast. The Lincoln-Way Central graduate started ballet at a young age and has been involved with the Nutcracker in some way for year. So the 2020 iteration has been a notable change for her.

“It’s been very different, but in a way exciting and challenging, too,” she said.

Snider said she is also driven by performing in a ballet that offers “the joy and real hope of Jesus.” And she keeps things fresh from year to year by diving into different roles.

“I like to go into my character work and become that character,” Snider said. “It never gets old. We get excited when it happens.”

In “Beyond the Nutcracker,” Emma, Uncle Abrahms and the angel Anastasis go on an adventure that leads to the story of the first Christmas. It features original choreography by Julianna Rubio Slager, the studio’s artistic director, with the score of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and costumes by Lorianne Barclay.

Tackett said just as there is magic to be found in “The Nutcracker” for audiences year after year, performers get wrapped up in the Christmas tradition.

“A big part of it is Tchaikovsky’s score,” Tackett said of the enduring appeal, adding that he thinks Ballet 5:8′s take has a “deeper meaning.”

Gardner added, “It’s definitely something that we hold near and dear to our hearts — reminding people why we celebrate Christmas. The world needs that right now.”

“Beyond the Nutcracker” typically draws an audience of roughly 2,000 over its run. And that is a lot of live feedback the artists have to forgo in favor of internet comments this year. Sitting back as it unfolds is far from the norm for the artists.

“It’s definitely going to be a different experience,” Kowach said. “The work we’ve done is done.”

But Snider said the mission was to capture breathtaking dance on film. She thinks people are going to enjoy what Ballet 5:8 accomplished this season, despite the limitations.

“We hope people will tune in and be part of (what) we’re sharing with them.”

“Beyond the Nutcracker” premiered Dec. 11 and runs through Jan. 1. More information is at (312) 725-4752 or ballet58.org/nutcracker. It is available for both short-term rental and purchase.

Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.