Nutcracker performers split rent, share spotlight

Visions of sugar plums will dance in audience members’ heads when the IU Ballet Theater performs its 50th annual production of “The Nutcracker” at the Musical Arts Center this weekend.

In addition to the typical sugar plums, this year’s version of “The Nutcracker” features choreography by Michael Vernon, chair of the ballet department.

“The first part of the ballet tells the story, and the second is pure dancing,” Vernon said. “Act II highlights the Sugar Plum and Snow pas (de deux, or dance for two) and the big corps ballet numbers. It includes the Waltz of the Flowers, the Waltz of the Snowflakes, the Arabian dance, the Mirlitons and the famous Russian dance.”

In Act I, Clara’s godfather gives her a nutcracker, which she adores. She falls asleep and dreams the rest of the fantasy, where she witnesses a battle between soldiers and mice, dancing sugar plums and more. Vernon said the second act is where the dancers shine.

“There is not one person who is not impressing me,” he said.

Sophomore Pablo Sanchez is playing the Sugar Plum Cavalier, the Snow King and the lead Russian for the second year in a row, Vernon said, and he has improved even more this year, despite his struggles with a back injury.

Sanchez dances two of the show’s major dances – the Sugar Plum pas de deux and the Snow pas de deux – with his two roommates: senior Kim Williams as the Snow Queen and senior Lacy Simpson as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

“I had no idea they were roommates,” Vernon said. “One wouldn’t know. They conduct themselves very professionally. ... I cast them on their talent and how well they danced together.”

Some might say three’s a party, but these three roommates are all business.

Q&A
Pablo Sanchez, sophomore
Sugar Plum Cavalier, Snow King, lead Russian

IDS: How did you three end up dancing the main parts together?

Sanchez: It was a surprise to be put together in the dances. It was really coincidental. We basically had something like a one in 40 chance of being chosen for the parts we got. Being paired like this is almost more of a convenient thing, and it has worked well because our personalities are similar.

IDS: Which pas de deux is your favorite?

Sanchez: It is hard to say which pas de deux is my favorite between the Sugar Plum and the Snow because they are so different. The Sugar Plum pas has a technical feel. There are lots of positions and lifts, so it feels more academic. The Snow pas is slow, pretty and flowier than the Sugar Plum. It’s more romantic, I think.

Lacy Simpson, senior
Sugar Plum Fairy, lead flower, Clara’s mother

IDS: Which part do you enjoy dancing most?

Simpson: All of my dances are different. ... I feel vulnerable, at least when the music builds as you dance. When it goes from fragile and light to grand and loud, there is more pressure there. On the other hand, I really love the lead flower because we dance in and out of the corps flowers. The interaction with everyone else is a lot of fun, and the costumes are colorful.

IDS: What has your experience been like dancing with Sanchez?

Simpson: It has been surprising, actually. We haven’t encountered any problems. I feel bad for Pablo, though. He is doing so much. ... It is good dancing with him because when you are close, you can give advice and not be offended.

Kim Williams, senior
Snow Queen, lead and demi soloist Flower, lead Mirliton

IDS: Which part is your favorite?

Williams: I am partial to doing the Mirlitons. I have had a part in that section for four years, but I am more nervous this year being the lead. There is a lot of pressure, but it is exciting at the same time. Also, I rehearse Snow Queen every single day with the pas, especially. Michael told me it was one of the most difficult pieces in his “Nutcracker.” It doesn’t seem very long, but it requires a lot of stamina. It has definitely gotten me in shape.

IDS: How is it different dancing with your roommate?

Williams: It is important to know your partner outside of rehearsals. Pablo can say to me, “Can we do this, or can we try that,” and we understand each other. I think it is so easy because we are friends, and we can read each other so well.