By Erica Rohde
Staff Writer
When the time comes and the curtain drops, the pitter-patter of feet stops. Last minute touches and “good lucks” rise among the whispers backstage.
The Land of the Snow is ready for its queen. She meets the audience with a smiling face, and the audience is taken aback by her splendor. When Courtlyn Hanson hits the stage, her nerves flare. However, she gracefully dances her way into the tale – royalty in the land of the snow, a beacon of beauty and hope.
The homeschooled 16-year-old ballet dancer has performed in the Ballet Ensemble of Texas at the Texas Ballet Academy as an angel, clown, mouse, candy cane, party girl, Hungarian, Chinese and Clara in her past years and finally the Snow Queen and waltz soloist at this year’s production.
“I loved the role [of Snow Queen] because it was easy for me to get into character,” Hanson said. “There was not a lot of acting; you just had to look really elegant and regal.”
To prepare for her role, Hanson nurtured her abilities by coming into the school during both the mornings and nights, as well as spent every Saturday at the school from around 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along with the other students for rehearsal.
Though to dance as the Snow Queen, Hanson had a new challenge compared to previous years.
“It was a lot of partnering,” Hanson said. “The partner that I had was actually hired and he could only come in on Tuesdays, so I had to do a lot of work on my own and make sure that I was doing everything I could to help him out.”
The pair rehearsed every Tuesday night from 6 – 9:30 p.m. Meanwhile Hanson felt pressure when working with the professional.
“I just felt like he was so amazing and I wasn’t as good as him,” Hanson said. “If we messed up I felt like it was my fault. But he was
supportive and it was a great experience. If I messed up he could back me up.”
Hanson also received support from her friends backstage.
“We are so close,” Hanson said. “Even if I was going to a public school I would much rather hang out with my dance friends.”
Passion for dance creates close ties and lifelong friendships, including the possibility of a friendship between polar opposite characters – the beloved Snow Queen and an abominable Mouse King.
The Mouse King jumped from the curtain, sword in hand during the battle scene. His fierce mannerisms were all at the work of Micheal Garcia, a 14-year-old attending Coppell Middle School North.
The young dancer rehearsed with the same amount of rigor as Hanson. For the both of them, their experiences and stress for their parts were similar.
“It really depends on the rehearsal if it was fun or stressful or not,” Garcia said. “Sometimes our director would get a little stressed and critique us more than we were used to and you start to stress out more than you used to. It is fun if you really know what you’re doing and you get out there and perform.”
For this year’s production, Garcia also played a lead in the Spanish and the Russian dance. But to perform as Mouse King, theatrical tactics were involved.
“I wasn’t supposed to stand up straight the entire time,” Garcia said. “You have to change your posture and your attitude even though you cannot see your face. You have to act.”
Before the Battle Scene, Garcia clears his mind.
“If I know a part as well as I knew the Mouse King, I just don’t think about it,” Garcia said. “I look on stage maybe and check my costume and make sure it is OK. Occasionally I will get really nervous.”
Nerves or no nerves, Garcia has a family behind him.
“Because of the Nutcracker if anything I have gotten closer to more of the younger kids,” Garcia said. “I formed better relationships by knowing most of the people.”
Garcia’s experiences with his friends and his passion for dancing have inspired his personal goals.
“I definitely would do it again,” Garcia said. “I am going to keep doing it for the rest of my life.”
Behind the inspiration is director Lisa Slagle, who is dedicated to encouraging her students to perform their best, do what they love and challenge themselves.
Slagle opened the Ballet Academy of Texas in 1999. Ever since then, there has always been a Nutcracker show.
“We used to also perform in Coppell on Thanksgiving weekend at the Coppell High School and we did that for many years,” Slagle said. “But it was so hard to tear down and set up the sets and rehearse all of the kids in different venues. It was too hard on the kids. That was the only weekend available to us in Coppell of doing it right here in our home, but the timing was not good.”
A beloved classic, families in Coppell look forward to the Nutcracker. If the tradition were to end, dancers and Coppell families would be disappointed.
“It’s a very popular tradition that we started,” Slagle said. “A lot of the students in the school look forward to grow into new roles each year. It keeps them inspired to keep dancing.”
With one production each year, Slagle has a set plan for how it will always be organized.
“This was my 21st one to direct so it is kind of in a routine in a way,” Slagle said. “My office manager is an amazing help too as far as organizing the details. As far as organizing the rehearsal schedule I look at what has worked in the past and it is not like I have to start all over every year.”
Part of the plan is a non-audition process, the only requirement being that the student is in ballet and at a certain age and level.
“We find a part for them,” Slagle said. “If we have to make more costumes, double cast it, we make sure that everybody who wants to be involved can be. We know our students; we know what they are capable of. I have a list of what they have done before. The only thing I try to do as a director, if possible, is make sure everybody involved gets to do something new.”
Slagle firmly believes that the only competitiveness is with each dancer themselves.
“They are competitive enough with themselves,” Slagle said. “The last thing I would do is to put them against one another. It is like being a part of a sports team. They need that same encouragement and camaraderie. They are all important and they all have a role to play.”
When the cast list is set, it adds up to around 200 students. With such a big production, mishaps will happen.
“This year went pretty smoothly,” Slagle said. “Other years we have dealt with more injuries and this year we didn’t have too many of those or illnesses. The Irving Arts Center Crew and theatre had such a nice facility for us so there is usually never any problem technically down there.”
Overall, it takes a rigorous amount of time and effort to put the Nutcracker together. It is all worth it.
“How do you put together such a big production?” Slagle said. “You dump the thousand piece puzzle on the table. You start looking for the corner pieces and you slowly start putting it together. That’s the best way to describe it.”
