TWSB Nutcracker 2023!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a separate note - regarding those who say the performance is meant to be a reflection of the school.
It never really feels that way to me.
Wouldn't they strive for more prominent roles for the kids with more "real"choreography if that was the case?

I'm a few years in now as a parent in this, and its always felt very clear to me that this production was not to feature the kids.

You are right. I’m the poster above who said you need to go to a youth ballet like the Maryland Youth Ballet if you’re looking for a Nutcracker production that features student dancers. That is not the goal of TWB’s Nutcracker. Students are ancillary.

You'll find the same problems with racial typecasting there as well.

[Anonymous]

I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

[Anonymous]

TWB webpage has a statement committing to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Specifically it says this...

Across all parts of the organization: Artistic, School, Staff, & Board, The Washington Ballet continues to actively focus on the recruitment, retention & engagement of diverse talent.

At least they're trying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

Oh it's not so bad. its just a boring not flashy role. DD did it before - when the costumes were huge animal heads, its a lot of sitting around on the side of the stage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a separate note - regarding those who say the performance is meant to be a reflection of the school.
It never really feels that way to me.
Wouldn't they strive for more prominent roles for the kids with more "real"choreography if that was the case?

I'm a few years in now as a parent in this, and its always felt very clear to me that this production was not to feature the kids.

You are right. I’m the poster above who said you need to go to a youth ballet like the Maryland Youth Ballet if you’re looking for a Nutcracker production that features student dancers. That is not the goal of TWB’s Nutcracker. Students are ancillary.

You'll find the same problems with racial typecasting there as well.

Perhaps because: ballet. But at least the production is mostly danced by students, so even if you’re in the corps as a snowflake that’s way more significant than any role a student would ever have in TWB’s Nutcracker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

There aren't many flower pages in each cast. It seems like there's very little dancing and it seems to mostly cast students of color.

Good roles after a 'certain age' = Party Girls, Soldiers, Bunny, Clowns, Little Butterflies, Frontier Girls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

Oh it's not so bad. its just a boring not flashy role. DD did it before - when the costumes were huge animal heads, its a lot of sitting around on the side of the stage.

It's a great role for a first-timer. But to have the role three times in a row is notably awful. That's why the mom of the page who was assigned the role for the third time is garnering so much sympathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

Oh it's not so bad. its just a boring not flashy role. DD did it before - when the costumes were huge animal heads, its a lot of sitting around on the side of the stage.

I remember those! The huge animal heads were fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

There aren't many flower pages in each cast. It seems like there's very little dancing and it seems to mostly cast students of color.

Good roles after a 'certain age' = Party Girls, Soldiers, Bunny, Clowns, Little Butterflies, Frontier Girls

Is it typically students of color? Has this been confirmed or is this just speculation??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

There aren't many flower pages in each cast. It seems like there's very little dancing and it seems to mostly cast students of color.

Good roles after a 'certain age' = Party Girls, Soldiers, Bunny, Clowns, Little Butterflies, Frontier Girls

Is it typically students of color? Has this been confirmed or is this just speculation??

In my DD’s cast last year, one of the pages was Black, but the others were white. I think there were 4 total if I’m not mistaken. Two on either side of the stage behind the mushrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

There aren't many flower pages in each cast. It seems like there's very little dancing and it seems to mostly cast students of color.

Good roles after a 'certain age' = Party Girls, Soldiers, Bunny, Clowns, Little Butterflies, Frontier Girls

Is it typically students of color? Has this been confirmed or is this just speculation??

There are no numbers, just current impressions by some posters. My DDs year they were all white, but under animal heads

[Anonymous]

What age would that role be? It seems pretty lame to be in a ballet and just sit there with no dancing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a separate note - regarding those who say the performance is meant to be a reflection of the school.
It never really feels that way to me.
Wouldn't they strive for more prominent roles for the kids with more "real"choreography if that was the case?

I'm a few years in now as a parent in this, and its always felt very clear to me that this production was not to feature the kids.

You are right. I’m the poster above who said you need to go to a youth ballet like the Maryland Youth Ballet if you’re looking for a Nutcracker production that features student dancers. That is not the goal of TWB’s Nutcracker. Students are ancillary.

"Ancillary" is a great term, I was thinking "window dressing" but that's less flattering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What age would that role be? It seems pretty lame to be in a ballet and just sit there with no dancing.

It seems like very few of the student roles except the most senior (Frontier Girls??) actually do much dancing. The soldiers march, the clowns do cartwheels, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about ballet but this thread is so interesting!

What is it about being a flower page that is so bad? What roles are good and bad?

There aren't many flower pages in each cast. It seems like there's very little dancing and it seems to mostly cast students of color.

Good roles after a 'certain age' = Party Girls, Soldiers, Bunny, Clowns, Little Butterflies, Frontier Girls

Is it typically students of color? Has this been confirmed or is this just speculation??

In my DD’s cast last year, one of the pages was Black, but the others were white. I think there were 4 total if I’m not mistaken. Two on either side of the stage behind the mushrooms.

My DD's cast last year, they were all brown. Four of them as well.