by Dean Poling
After 35 years, one might think there are no surprises left for Linda Chase in her hugely popular Dance Arts production of “The Nutcracker.”
After all, she choreographed the local production. Some of the dancers are legacies, second, even third generation, performers in “The Nutcracker.” She is used to dealing with the more than 300 costumes, 75 props, and the more than 300 pairs of shoes that are used up each year during rehearsals and performances.
Through the years, the show has played consistently with one exception: During one holiday season in the 1980s, she did not present “The Nutcracker” due to renovations at Mathis City Auditorium.
That exception aside, Dance Arts has presented “The Nutcracker” since 1972, which means it started shortly before the word “Watergate” became a household word and has lasted long enough for a new generation to have no idea what “Watergate” means. Chase’s “The Nutcracker” has run through the terms of seven presidents.
So, one may think there is nothing left that can surprise Linda Chase, but there are new surprises each year. Some surprises come in the form of an unexpected costume problem or having to make changes for a suddenly sick cast member, but even these developments are something she can handle with ease.
The real surprises for Chase come with what she hopes will also be the surprises for audiences who have attended the show for years.
“There are always new surprises every year,” Chase says. “It’s like putting a new ornament on the Christmas tree. We add a new song or a new dance. There are always new situations.”
One of this year’s new additions is the professional dancing team of Cristin and Jay Jernigan, artistic directors of Metro Movement Ensemble of Atlanta, performing as the Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier and the Snow Queen and Snow King.
Though there are many changes, “The Nutcracker” is pinned firmly on tradition.
The famed music of “The Nutcracker” is by Russian composer Pjtor Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He based his score on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story, “Der Nusscrackern und der MauseKoing,” a tale of a young girl’s Christmas Eve gift of a nutcracker soldier and her dreams of their adventures. On Dec. 18, 1892, Tchaikovsky’s work as a ballet premiered at the Maryinski Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia.
“This enchanting and magical fantasy of dreams come to life has increased in popularity during the past 50 years,” Chase has noted. “The result is a production packed with dancing from beginning to end an unforgettable holiday gift to audiences of all ages.” During the past few decades, locally based and touring productions of “The Nutcracker” have become holiday staples in numerous cities across the U.S. and the world.
Valdosta’s “Nutcracker” features the choreography of Chase, who studied dance in the legendary Ballanchine format in New York and highlights the talents of dozens of local residents. The recipient of a Ford Foundation scholarship, Chase studied at the American School of Ballet under the tutelage of George Ballanchine, who directed the New York Ballet Company. At the age of 3, Chase began dancing in Red Bank, N.J., under the direction of Hela Slavinska, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo prima ballerina.
Through her direction of Dance Arts, Chase has brought dance to life for thousands of students and “The Nutcracker” to magical life for generations.
