The Snowflake ensemble of Artists in Motion’s “The Nutcracker.” PHOTOS BY DAVE McKEOWN
Originally published in the Pottsville Republican-Herald on December 16, 2021.
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Outside Schuylkill Haven Area High School’s Zwerling Auditorium on Wednesday night, the cast and crew of Artists in Motion Performing Arts’ first-ever performance of “The Nutcracker” hauled in the props and costumes.
Two men struggled to fit Mother Ginger’s 10-foot-long dress into the auditorium doors. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Ginger, 17-year-old Jacob Challenger, will grace the auditorium stage on stilts and dance with eight children hidden in the costume’s petticoats.
The performances will also be livestreamed.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Challenger, of Schuylkill Haven. “Mother Ginger is bold in every aspect. Every action is over-the-top, dramatic, and that reflects in her costume. It’s a whole endeavor, getting me into that. It’s a workout, I’m not gonna lie.”
This is Challenger’s first time performing in a ballet. He has studied with Artists in Motion for six months, and auditioned for “The Nutcracker” to help his budding musical theater career. His friends sometimes tease him about performing in drag.
“I’ve done it before, I’d love to do it again,” he said. “When you’re able to hit that point in your mindset when there’s not any shame in it, and there doesn’t need to be, it’s incredibly fun to let yourself get out there and go wild.”
Artists in Motion’s “Nutcracker” is a traditional retelling of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet, featuring dozens of young performers from across the region and 114 costume changes. Mother Ginger is a perennial crowd-pleaser, and one of many holiday traditions associated with the ballet.
Isla Shoener, 10, of Pottsville, plays Clara.
“I got the role of Clara because I have very good technique, I have very nice arm movements and very good posture,” she said.
Isla Schoener, left, and Maci Brignola, both as Clara.
Rylee Conley, 14, of Frackville, plays four parts: Harlequin Doll, Snowflake, Coffee and Flower.
“It takes a lot of time management and ability to handle all of the choreography,” she said.
This “Nutcracker” is directed by Kristina Grant, of Harrisburg, who has 20 years of “Nutcracker” experience. Grant has danced in it, directed it, choreographed it, costumed it, designed its lighting and edited its music.
“It’s become almost like an arm or a leg,” said Grant, a pencil in her hair bun. “It’s like a part of me. I can sing the entire score for you if I’d like. It’s taught me resilience, it’s taught me problem-solving, it’s taught me to live in the moment.”
She once did a version sponsored by Hershey’s during which all the dancers were pieces of chocolate and candy. The straightforward nature of Artists in Motion’s version, she said, is its main selling point.
“In our world, especially now, people need familiarity, they need hope, they need escape,” she said. “They need something that charges their imagination and something that they recognize as joyful and consistent in their lives.”
The demands of custom-made costumes, building props and sets and making “snow” fall from the sky during the “Waltz of the Snowflakes” are stressful, but Grant calls it “part of the magic.”
“It magically comes out of the sky,” she said, “but it takes a team to make that happen… The technical level of the students is fantastic, and the production itself has a professional feel.”
Nick Yashinsky, SAHS auditorium director and social studies teacher, is in charge of the sets, props, lighting and rigging. Grant calls him “the man.” He calls himself “the man, the myth, the legend.”
“To us, this is our bread and butter,” he said from a ladder while tying the curtains. “This is not the first time we’ve done something like this. This is a no-sweat job.”
Grant brought the ballerinas on stage for one final costume check before rehearsal.
“It’s like the gods are saying, Hi, to me,” one ballerina said as she lifted her arms to the spotlight. “I haven’t felt this in so long.”
“Make sure each of your sleeves are the same height,” Grant told them. “Details, ladies, details.”
Tickets are available at https://dancestudio-pro.com/tickets/aimpa and are $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and children 18 and under. Livestream tickets are $12.
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