By Johanna Yee
Round Table reporter
Dee Buchanan’s Dance Studio is presenting the Christmas ballet “The Nutcracker” for the 11th consecutive year, which will be performed at the Middletown High School auditorium on December 17th at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Tickets will be sold at the door, but Dee Buchanan expects the holiday favorite to have a great turnout. Those who wish to ensure admission may call ahead and reserve seats through the studio at (301)371-4228.
The popularity of this local performance each year has personalized the world-known ballet as “Middletown’s Nutcracker.” It was not initially intended to be an annual performance. Originally, Buchanan chose the Nutcracker because her dancers already have the opportunity to do musical theater and jazz, so she was looking for something classical.
“The thing that’s surprising is, when we first started, I just thought it was something we would do every few years, but the younger dancers look forward to the advancement [to a larger role] each year,” noted Buchanan.
All the advanced dancers who take ballet at the studio auditioned for each part. Most of these dancers are Middletown High School, Middletown Middle School, orMiddletown Elementary Schoolstudents. A main role, the role of Clara, will be played by Meg Kady, at the 1 p.m. show, and by Emmy Hudak, at the 5 p.m. show.
Kady stated that her favorite scene is the party scene at the beginning of the ballet. “I like it,” she explained, “because all my friends are in it with me.”
Also a lead role in “The Nutcracker” is the Sugar Plum Fairy, to be played by MHS senior Bryana Duley at the 1 p.m. show and by MHS junior Nicole Sevin at the 5 p.m. show. When asked how they felt about playing the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Duley and Sevin replied, “We love it! It’s a challenge, but all of the hard work we put into it pays off in the end.”
