One Last Nutcracker Post!
Hi everyone and Happy New Year!
As Kristin already mentioned, NYCB just concluded its six week run of The Nutcracker this past weekend. Last night marked our first show of The Sleeping Beauty, and the backstage of the New York State Theater has totally been transformed. The wings are now overflowing with brambles and garlands, and the puffy mouse costumes that used to line the halls have now been replaced by gorgeous courtier outfits.
But before we get to the Beauty posts, I have just a few final Nutcracker pictures to share with you all. These were all taken backstage prior to the snow scene in Act I as my fellow dancers were preparing to go on stage. I particularly like the fact that these all turned out looking somewhat serene, especially considering that once the dance actually starts, the scene backstage isn’t quite so calm. (Picture a group of ballerinas darting in and out of the wings at top speed, spitting out bits of fake snow as they go!)
Preparations | WING017
Gwyneth and I shot this before her debut as the Hostess in NYCB’s production of The Nutcracker.
Also appearing are Maya Collins, Troy Schumacher, and Henry Seth.
Music: “Further” by Etherdust.
Video: Starring Gwyneth, filmed and edited by Sloan.
A Few More Pics from Chicago…
Gina Pazcoguin, my good friend and dressing room neighbor, checking to make sure her headpiece for “Symphony in C” is securely in place.
Preparing for “Serenade”
The women of the corps preparing their shoes for “Serenade”.
It might seem strange that everyone is crowded in the corner of this tiny studio, but that’s where the rosin box was. We use rosin on the insides of our shoes (to keep them securely on our feet) as well as on the outer soles of the shoes (to keep ourselves from slipping). If you’re ever backstage and see a clump of girls sitting in a circle, chances are there’s a box of rosin amongst them.
Tutus and Trunks
A glimpse of the hallway outside my dressing room. Pictured are the beautiful costumes from “Serenade”, our leotards from “The Four Temperaments” and one of the many NYCB trunks that always seem to line the halls of every theater we invade.
Class on Stage
This picture was taken on the stage just before company class was about to begin. Every morning when I get to class, this is usually the sight that greets me: a room full of dancers stretched out on the floor, talking, laughing and having their last sips of coffee before pliés begin.
Normally, our classes are held in a traditional rehearsal studio with a mirror at the front of the room. However, since this theater did not have a studio large enough to accommodate all of us, we had to have some of our classes on the stage.
Dancing without a mirror is a really difficult exercise; it really forces you to use your own muscle memory to feel what your body is doing (instead of just checking out your own reflection).
The Art Institute of Chicago
Although my busy schedule didn’t allow for much sightseeing, I did have the chance to skip off to The Art institute of Chicago one afternoon during a break in my rehearsal day. Lucky for me, a WONDERFUL photography exhibit is currently on display at the museum entitled “So the Story Goes”. It features works by Sally Mann, Larry Sultan, Nan Goldin, Philip-Lorca Dicorcia and Tina Barney, and together they left me in complete awe.
One of the reasons that I think these photographers are so brilliant is that they capture intimate scenes from their own lives, leaving viewers to feel as though they are intruding on something very personal. The brochure I was handed regarding the exhibit summed it up really well: “[The photographers] focus on the very events, sights, and emotions that we often prefer to exclude from our own personal snapshots or which were previously deemed inappropriate for aesthetic consideration: an anxious look, a loved one’s funeral, an unmade bed, a protective caress, or an argument in progress.”
If anyone lives in the Chicago area, the exhibit will be on display until December 3rd. I really recommend it- mark it an official “Gwyneth Pick” 
Maya Gets Sewn In
Whenever we perform “leotard” ballets, our dressers actually sew us into our costumes by attaching our leotards to our tights. This way, our leotards always stay in place, and never ride up when we start dancing.
Yet another trick of the trade revealed!
Gretchen Bangs her Shoes
This hallway Gretchen is standing against was located just behind the stage of the Harris Theater, and it quickly became the designated place for all of us to “bang” our pointe shoes. Sound weird? Let me explain…
After our first stage rehearsal on Tuesday, we discovered that the acoustics in the Harris Theater were really quite spectacular. This was great news for the orchestra, but it actually became a bit of a challenge for the dancers. Our pointe shoes made so much noise that when we ran across the stage in “Serenade”, we sounded more like a herd of elephants than a group of ballerinas.
In order to remedy this, we quickly took to banging our pointe shoes before every performance. By hitting the tips of our shoes against a hard surface, our shoes softened up a bit and made much less noise when we wore them on the stage. I think it must have been a funny sight to come backstage during intermission and see a bunch of ballerinas forcibly hitting their shoes against a cement wall. Oh well, it did the trick!
NYCB in Chicago
Hey guys! I just returned home from Chicago where the company was on tour dancing at the Harris Theater for the past week. This tour marked the first time the company was back performing since we were in Saratoga, and it was really wonderful to reunite with all of my colleagues and dance in front of an especially warm and receptive audience.
I snapped this picture last Tuesday night, just after we completed our first performance of the tour. We were sweaty and exhausted, yet there was a definite feeling of accomplishment in the air as we gathered around the elevator and waited to return to our dressing rooms. Although the corps dressed only two flights up, a majority of us agreed that dancing an all-Balanchine program was enough to justify not taking the stairs!
Trapeze School
A few days ago I headed to the Hudson River Park with some of my dancer colleagues to participate in a rather unique form of cross-training -– we took a flying trapeze class! The Trapeze School of New York holds daily classes in a great location that overlooks the Hudson River, and we all had an amazing time learning how to swing, hang and flip from a trapeze that was suspended 23 feet high in the air!
Of course we were attached to a harness the entire time, so there was no risk of falling or hurting ourselves. But that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t at all frightening! On my first attempt, I was so busy trying to combat my shaking legs and trembling fingers that just getting a firm grip on the trapeze bar was a challenge all in itself. I barely had time to register just how high I was above the ground before the instructors gave me the cue to jump, and suddenly I was flying through the air, trying to pointe my toes and remember how to breathe all at the same time!
Once we all got the hang of it though, we began to have an absolutely incredible time. Our instructors were eager to teach us increasingly difficult maneuvers, and soon we were practicing our own specific aerial tricks! At the end of class we even learned to “catch”, meaning that we swung off of one trapeze into the grasp of one of the instructors who was hanging from a separate trapeze across the net! Not one of us got the catch on the first try, but being the determined ballerinas that we all are, we attempted it until we succeeded.
Here’s a picture of all of us with our three fantastic instructors.
And here are some pics of us “flying”!
I think I can safely say that none of us have plans to join the circus anytime soon, but needless to say it was an amazing experience and hopefully we’ll all be back again. If anyone wants to take a trapeze class, the school has locations in New York, Baltimore and Boston. I highly recommend it, and you don’t have to be a ballerina to try!
A Sunset in Paris…and Tanz im August
Hi everyone! I just returned home from a wonderful vacation in Europe, where I had an amazing time traveling through France, Germany and The Netherlands. I had a total blast immersing myself in these foreign cultures and I was even able to visit some friends of mine who live overseas.
While I was in Germany, I discovered Tanz im August, an international dance festival that the city of Berlin hosts every summer. It was a complete coincidence that I happened to arrive in Berlin while this dance festival was sweeping the city– in fact I had never even heard of Tanz im August before. But I soon learned that every year, choreographers and dance troupes from all over the world flock to Berlin to take part in this two-week celebration of contemporary dance. Events are shown nightly in theaters across the city, and everything from dance-themed discussions to innovative live performances are presented. As an added bonus, the festival even hosts a series of parties that give audience members a chance to mingle with the artists themselves. What a cool way to showcase new choreography and promote the world of contemporary dance!
I only saw one performance during my stay, but I would have loved to have seen more of the wonderfully experimental pieces the festival was presenting. If anyone plans on being in Germany next August, I recommend checking it out!
She’s back!
The Winger is pleased to announce that our favorite photographically gifted Saratoga correspondent (Gwyneth Muller that is!) will be continuing on as a contributor.
This, she says, is how she likes to “enjoy” the sun.
NYCB is currently on break until October. So, Gwyneth’s life is now all about resting, vacationing (she’ll be taking off for a European vacation in a few weeks - lucky!), as well as staying as active as possible (dance classes, pilates, gym etc.) so that her return to work next season is as painless as possible.
Welcome again Gwyneth! (I love this picture!)
Faye is Taken Hostage!
A monster captured one of the princesses backstage! I’m fairly certain that he returned her safe and sound before she had to make her first entrance.
