The company has performed extensively around the country including New York City, Boston, Virigina, and Washington DC at the inauguration of President Obama. The company is currently experiencing a major transition in its lifecycle and continues to procure high-quality artists and original repertory works from emerging and established choreographers.
We spoke with Mark A. Roxey, Director of the company about their annual Nutcracker performances. This year they will have five performances from Nov. 29 to Dec. 7 at the Kendall Theater on the campus of The College of New Jersey. This marks the 20th straight year they have performed the annual holiday classic.
What is it about The Nutcracker that makes it such a holiday tradition for so many people?
Our Nutcracker is unlike any other, it is a family production where the magic of dance is presented on stage by dancers of all ages and skill levels to the classical holiday music we all love. It is a great way to bring the community together to celebrate all that is good through the arts.
Is it a challenge to keep the story and dancing fresh when you perform it every year?
No, because I am a living choreographer which means I get to play with it each year and I do just that. Every year there are changes made to the choreography which staying true to the production. This is 20 years so you might say there have been twenty different versions of this living, moving piece of art.
What can parents with children studying dance expect from your production that might help their kids to become better dancers and learn more about the craft?
Well there are so many things. It is easy when watching Roxey Ballet's production to see the many stages of a dancer from 3 years old to professional. It is also possible for children to see what is possible of a dancer at the different levels.
It is also inspiring to watch other dancers perform their craft and this production as many professional dancers so they get to see the best Roxey Ballet has to offer.
Your production of The Nutcracker draws on talent from local communities in addition to international performers. Does this mix help make Roxey's production unique and special each year?
Yes because diversity is the spice of life. Having artists at different levels working together is the essence of the art form. Ballet is a time honored transfer of information from one person to another. Having the professional in the rehearsal studio along side students and pre-professional serve to elevate the entire field of ballet. The Nutcracker itself is really about diversity and features different regions of the world coming together to celebrate the Nutcracker Spell being broken. So why would we not have actual people from those places on stage? Our production is know to be the most child friendly production in the region. It take the classic E.T A Hoffman Version and transforms it into a children's ballet.
Finally, what do you personally like best about The Nutcracker?
The thing I love the most about The Nutcracker is the community it draws. I love that it is often time the first ballet young audiences experience. I love that the music is one of the best pieces ever written. I love that year after year it introduces ballet to the world...
People in the field of dance and arts who forsake The Nutcracker don't understand its true power. The power to share, the power to connect and the power to inspire...
