Want to go?
WHAT: Dayton Ballet's annual presentation of "The Nutcracker."
WHEN: Opening Friday, Dec. 11 and running through Tuesday, Dec. 22. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 21-22.
WHERE: Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, 1 W. Second St., Dayton.
PRICE: Tickets are priced from $17 to $72. Senior, teacher and military discounts are available at the box office.
MORE INFO: Website | Call (888) 228-3630
NUTCRACKER SPECIAL EXTRAS
• Behind the Ballet — After each performance, ticket holders are invited free of charge to a Q&A with artistic director Karen Burke and dancers.
• Back Stage Tours are offered at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 following the Saturday Matinee performances. Tickets are $10 and include a visit with Dayton Ballet dancers and punch and cookies in the loading dock. Tickets available by calling (888) 228-3630.
• The Dayton Ballet Barre will host two Sugar Plum Teas at Boston Stoker, 34 W. Second St., across the street from the Schuster Center, at 1 p.m. Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. Tickets are $10 for adults and children. The Sugar Plum Fairy will be in attendance for photo opportunities. For tickets, call (888) 228-3630.
• New this year, the Dayton Humane Society will bring a few furry visitors for a Muttcracker visit at intermission and after the matinee shows on Dec. 13, 19 and 20. The animals will be available for adoption.
• The former Rike's Department Store animated holiday windows are now on display in the Schuster Center Wintergarden. Kids can shop at the Tike's Shoppe, and meet Santa from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Dayton Ballet Nutcracker Boutique, open before each performance and during intermissions, features hundreds of large holiday nutcrackers and ballet-themed items. Graeter's Sweet Shoppe offers holiday goodies at each performance.
The Nutcracker ballet is a beloved Dayton tradition.
From the classic music, to the captivating choreography, to the whimsical settings, it's no wonder this show continues to draw huge crowds year after year. The classic holiday ballet, choreographed by Karen Russo Burke, comes to the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center Dec. 11-21. The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Neal Gittleman, will accompany the dancers with the beloved Tchaikovsky score.
Another thing that makes this classic production so special is the costumes. We talk to the people who work tirelessly to create the costumes and some of the dancers who wear them. Here is their behind-the-scenes story:
DANCERS ON THE ROLE OF THEIR COSTUMES
Paul Gilliam admits it’s sometimes difficult to “find his characterization” when he’s rehearsing in a dance studio.
"It becomes much easier when I'm in costume," says Gilliam, one of two dancers who will portray the Nutcracker in the Dayton Ballet's upcoming production. "Costumes tell part of the story on their own. They can set the mood."
Halliet Slack agrees. She’s certain that her luscious pink costume — embellished with beads and sequins — has special magic. “Every time I put on the Sugar Plum tutu and walk up to the stage, I pass the cast of young children in the production and always hear them gasp and say ‘It’s the Sugar Plum!’ ” she says. “That’s the best part of putting on that tutu.”
THE JOB OF A COSTUME DESIGNER
The costume magic doesn't come easy. Just ask Dayton Ballet wardrobe supervisor Lyn Baudendistel and her assistant Debra Howard, who were busily sewing when I paid a visit to their costume shop on the fifth floor of the Victoria Theatre Building earlier this week. Sitting at their work table, the two were surrounded by racks of colorful costumes and walls of neatly organized boxes of fabric and notions — buttons and horsehair, beads and ribbon.
“This is the lead marzipan’s tutu; I’m stitching the plate onto the base to make her platter tutu,” explained Baudendistel, whose hands were covered with pink netting and embroidered blue chiffon. After working as assistant to costume designer extraordinaire Lowell Mathwich, Baudendistel was tapped for her job when Mathwich was offered the chance to tour with a Broadway show two years ago and decided to go for it.
Baudendistel’s current job demands a lot more than expert sewing skills. She’s not only responsible for making sure costumes are perfect for every ballet program but must ensure that they get to the right dancer at the right time. And when problems arise, even during a performance, she must be johnny-on-the-spot. “You have to be quick on your feet and creative in your ability to make and fix things,” she said. “I’m learning how to make tiaras and crowns; sometimes a zipper splits or elastic comes undone.”
The job also requires multi-tasking and working with a wide variety of people. Each costume must be fitted on each dancer, even when he or she is playing the same role two years in a row. “And you have to be organized, to order stuff ahead of time so that you can get started when you’re ready,” Baudendistel adds.
WHY ‘NUTCRACKER’ COSTUMES ARE DIFFERENT
For many ballets, the challenge is creating new costumes. For those jobs, Baudendistel hires a designer, then works from a sketch to create a pattern and a finished costume. “I keep track of all of the costumes, do all of the fittings, build new ballets and pieces as needed,” she explains.
But the challenges are unique for “The Nutcracker.” The costumes we’ll see on stage were designed by Mathwich three years ago and will be used for a total of 10 years. The feat for Baudendistel and Howard is handling 175 of them — cleaning and storing them, mending and altering them, organizing them for each performance.
“Just because a costume was created in 2013 doesn’t mean that’s the end of it,” Baudendistel said. “It’s an ongoing process.”
The initial costume, Howard explained, is made for the first cast members but must be adapted every year. A new cast member may be taller, broader. “We have 70 kids in the cast so, so for the party scene we may have one skirt but two bodices in two sizes,” she explained.
BEFORE THE SHOW
When they are not in use, all Dayton Ballet costumes are kept in a huge storage unit in a building across the street from the Ballet offices.
"There are thousands of costumes there, and it's a treasure trove," said Howard, who loves looking at the old costumes that can be traced back to the days when the Josephine and Hermine Schwarz started the company. "It's amazing to me how they made costumes before Spandex and stretchy fabrics!"
When it’s time for a new ballet, the appropriate costumes are transported across the street in large clothing gondolas.
“As soon as Karen starts sending me the casting, I start the fittings,” said Baudendistel. “Dancers may have three fittings because they are playing multiple roles. Sometimes a costume is perfect and there is not much that needs to be done. Other times we may have to take in a bodice or skirt. ” When Mathwich originally made the costumes, she explained, he often made two versions of a specific skirt — a short and a long. He also purchased additional fabric, anticipating future repairs and replacements.
Though most of the dancers wear standard ballet shoes, some specialty shoes must be dyed or embellished.
DURING THE SHOW
Once costumes have been fitted and altered, they are neatly arranged on racks and in clothing gondolas. When it’s time for the load-in Baudendistel must have all costumes packed up and ready to go to the Schuster Center. Each costume is numbered and has a name tag that identifies the role and the dancer who will wear it.
Members of the wardrobe union are hired for the duration of the show to assist. They will steam, press and hang each of the garments in the dancer’s dressing room. Sometimes they’ll wash shirts between performances — there are washers and dryers at the Schuster — and they are also available for emergencies during each show in case something rips or tears. Emergency sewing kits are kept backstage.
“Last year we added epaulets to the shoulders of the Nutcracker’s costume and when the Russian man jumped over him during their dance, the ribbons from the Russian costume caught on the epaulet and tore,” recalls Baudendistel. “It was very scary. We made some changes and repaired his costume before the next show.”
When there’s time, changes are made in a dressing room. But for those who have to make a quick change — such as Clara who must quickly change from her party dress to her nightgown — a space is set up backstage and a dresser assigned to help.
AFTER THE SHOW
When the curtain goes down on the final performance, it’s a long night for Baudendistel. “We’re downstairs, hanging costumes and putting them back in the gondolas,” she explained. “Then they are brought back across the street and we unload them in big piles and close the door until after New Year’s.”
When Baudendistel and Howard return from the break, it’s time to wash all the tights and shirts — by hand or machine. The other costumes — after rat tails and other decorations have been removed — go to Fox Cleaners, which has been cleaning Dayton Ballet costumes for years. “They deserve a shout-out because they are so reasonable and like doing things for the arts,” Baudendistel said.
When they return from the cleaners, costumes are re-inventoried, put into clothing gondolas and returned to storage. And it’s time to start all over again for the next ballet.
It’s a mammoth undertaking but both Baudendistel and Howard wouldn’t be anywhere else.
“It can be long hours, but it’s exciting and magical,” says Baudendistel. ” I don’t think the audience has any idea the amount of detail that goes into each of these beautiful costumes.”
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