University of Oklahoma

School of Dance

Elsie C. Brackett Theatre

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Directed by Mary Margaret Holt

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One of the great classic ballets, The Nutcracker is an enduring holiday story.  This production was a return to an original approach to the ballet from years past in the School of Dance.  The production is remounted every 4 years, with modifications and updates.  

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For this production, a new land of sweets design was created, which featured a translucent moon that I could light through.  Some of the dances were reimagined, replacing the Arabian dance with Papillon, and changing the Chinese dance into a ribbon dance ballet.

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The lighting design for The Nutcracker has to be expressive and flexible, supporting many locations that shift so very rapidly throughout the dance.  In an instant we travel from the battle of the mice to the frozen woods and dancing snowflakes.  It is a magical tale, and I love creating magical lighting to support it.