Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain the cast/skill correlation, if any? First year family here.

Ruby and Sapphire tend to get the "special" shows - Opening night, tea party, Christmas Eve.
You can call it all speculation, but the more senior and experienced dancers tend to be in these casts.

Emerald/Pearl has the reputation of being the less desirable casts

In order to dispel the jewel envy, they’ve tried to throw people off the trail - for instance last year Amethyst was the new Ruby. No ARC show, opening night, the most experienced company dancers.

Funny you say this.. we are friends with a principal dancer — she will tell you they pay absolutely NO MIND to the kids. They don’t have jewels. They have contractural rest and their partners get sick. They leave to “guest” all around the US for better pay. Nutcracker breaks them down. They don’t like it. So sorry, you’re wrong!!!!

PP here - doth protest too much! “funny you say this” - don’t you realize that everything you just wrote can be right and I’m still not wrong!?!? Of course the principal dancers pay “absolutely NO MIND” about the kids. Of course they don’t have jewels - they’re not 10 year old kids. Of course they don’t love the Nutcracker. But it is still true that one or two of the jewel cases (for kids) doesn’t perform at the ARC, does opening night or tea party, and according to my eye test, the company still makes an effort to schedule their best principals. Of course family and life intervene so the makeup changes. Clutching my pearls!

Everyone is stuck with an ARC performance this year - at least according to the portal. 3 performances, one for each pairing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain the cast/skill correlation, if any? First year family here.

Ruby and Sapphire tend to get the "special" shows - Opening night, tea party, Christmas Eve.
You can call it all speculation, but the more senior and experienced dancers tend to be in these casts.

Emerald/Pearl has the reputation of being the less desirable casts

In order to dispel the jewel envy, they’ve tried to throw people off the trail - for instance last year Amethyst was the new Ruby. No ARC show, opening night, the most experienced company dancers.

Funny you say this.. we are friends with a principal dancer — she will tell you they pay absolutely NO MIND to the kids. They don’t have jewels. They have contractural rest and their partners get sick. They leave to “guest” all around the US for better pay. Nutcracker breaks them down. They don’t like it. So sorry, you’re wrong!!!!

PP here - doth protest too much! “funny you say this” - don’t you realize that everything you just wrote can be right and I’m still not wrong!?!? Of course the principal dancers pay “absolutely NO MIND” about the kids. Of course they don’t have jewels - they’re not 10 year old kids. Of course they don’t love the Nutcracker. But it is still true that one or two of the jewel cases (for kids) doesn’t perform at the ARC, does opening night or tea party, and according to my eye test, the company still makes an effort to schedule their best principals. Of course family and life intervene so the makeup changes. Clutching my pearls!

In case there was any confusion I agree with all PPs that the jewels have little or no correlation with kid dancing skill. Only that certain jewels are scheduled differently from others.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain the cast/skill correlation, if any? First year family here.

Ruby and Sapphire tend to get the "special" shows - Opening night, tea party, Christmas Eve.
You can call it all speculation, but the more senior and experienced dancers tend to be in these casts.

Emerald/Pearl has the reputation of being the less desirable casts

In order to dispel the jewel envy, they’ve tried to throw people off the trail - for instance last year Amethyst was the new Ruby. No ARC show, opening night, the most experienced company dancers.

Funny you say this.. we are friends with a principal dancer — she will tell you they pay absolutely NO MIND to the kids. They don’t have jewels. They have contractural rest and their partners get sick. They leave to “guest” all around the US for better pay. Nutcracker breaks them down. They don’t like it. So sorry, you’re wrong!!!!

PP here - doth protest too much! “funny you say this” - don’t you realize that everything you just wrote can be right and I’m still not wrong!?!? Of course the principal dancers pay “absolutely NO MIND” about the kids. Of course they don’t have jewels - they’re not 10 year old kids. Of course they don’t love the Nutcracker. But it is still true that one or two of the jewel cases (for kids) doesn’t perform at the ARC, does opening night or tea party, and according to my eye test, the company still makes an effort to schedule their best principals. Of course family and life intervene so the makeup changes. Clutching my pearls!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain the cast/skill correlation, if any? First year family here.

Ruby and Sapphire tend to get the "special" shows - Opening night, tea party, Christmas Eve.
You can call it all speculation, but the more senior and experienced dancers tend to be in these casts.

Emerald/Pearl has the reputation of being the less desirable casts

In order to dispel the jewel envy, they’ve tried to throw people off the trail - for instance last year Amethyst was the new Ruby. No ARC show, opening night, the most experienced company dancers.

Funny you say this.. we are friends with a principal dancer — she will tell you they pay absolutely NO MIND to the kids. They don’t have jewels. They have contractural rest and their partners get sick. They leave to “guest” all around the US for better pay. Nutcracker breaks them down. They don’t like it. So sorry, you’re wrong!!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain the cast/skill correlation, if any? First year family here.

Ruby and Sapphire tend to get the "special" shows - Opening night, tea party, Christmas Eve.
You can call it all speculation, but the more senior and experienced dancers tend to be in these casts.

Emerald/Pearl has the reputation of being the less desirable casts

In order to dispel the jewel envy, they’ve tried to throw people off the trail - for instance last year Amethyst was the new Ruby. No ARC show, opening night, the most experienced company dancers.

Anonymous wrote:First year here. If you’re in the B cast next weekend can it be assumed are you then like either AMETHYST - EMERALD - PEARL cast?

When I had two young girls in the nutcracker, we were the ruby cast my daughter was a snow angel, and she was in Group A. My other daughter was a Bee. I will be the first one to admit that there is absolutely no dancing skill in these roles. No way to differentiate. If you’re that bad they don’t have to cast you.

Donna has said over and again that they put siblings in the same cast and I strongly feel that my kids were in ruby cast because they were siblings not because they were the best dancers.

They did get opening night!

The next year one of my girls moved to a competitive dance team, so I just had one dancer. She was the emerald cast. Two other dancers in her role got two jewels. Objectively there was nothing better about those dancers. I know at least, in one case they had siblings.

Those dancers were ruby, sapphire, amethyst, diamond. Take from that what you will.

The Washington School of Ballet could be so much better and maybe I’m getting my hopes up, but maybe the new Director can finally create a challenging program for young dancers.

It’s really not a strong curriculum they don’t advance dancers by skill, and they work extremely slow. I know this from former ballet teachers, professional, ballet dancers.

Septime will be back to update costumes and rework some things with The Nutcracker. I miss him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any chance they will stick with the original casting release date of today?

I seriously doubt it though it would be a nice surprise.

Who is brave enough to ask Donna?

Anonymous wrote:Any chance they will stick with the original casting release date of today?

I seriously doubt it though it would be a nice surprise.

Any chance they will stick with the original casting release date of today?

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain the cast/skill correlation, if any? First year family here.

Ruby and Sapphire tend to get the "special" shows - Opening night, tea party, Christmas Eve.
You can call it all speculation, but the more senior and experienced dancers tend to be in these casts.

Emerald/Pearl has the reputation of being the less desirable casts

People have claimed some casts are ranked higher, particularly the one slated for opening night and in the past, whichever one Julie Kent’s daughter was assigned to. The powers that be assure parents they are all equal, though rumors to the contrary persist.

Can someone please explain the cast/skill correlation, if any? First year family here.

My daughter is hung up on wanting to be opening night - which is essentially always ruby/sapphire

Agree, this would be helpful to know for planning purposes.

Also FWIW, our family is thrilled with any cast and I would gladly go watch any cast, they're all phenomenal and the joy is watching these dancers (kids and adults) who have worked so hard put on a spectacular performance. Perhaps others are really invested in individual outcomes and I get that, but I'll be cheering just as hard for every single kiddo up there. And honestly the audience (who knows nothing of gemstones) agrees. The applause from a packed house is just as meaningful every time.

First year here. If you’re in the B cast next weekend can it be assumed are you then like either AMETHYST - EMERALD - PEARL cast?