On the Road With Nutcracker
As the temperature dips and the snow piles up on our doorway, we’re taking a little trip out to the west coast! Between December 5 and 14 the Company will complete 11 performances of Nutcracker before bringing the production back to Winnipeg for another 8. RWB Company members Katie Bonnell and Liam Caines share their experiences of the trip so far.
Katie Bonnell
Happy holidays from the RWB! ‘Tis the season for sleigh rides, hot chocolate, and of course, Nutcracker. We are on our way to spread some holiday cheer on the west coast. I can’t believe we are already on the road again! It feels like we just got back from China and suddenly we are leaving home again. At least we get to go somewhere a bit warmer. Goodbye Winnipeg, hello BC! I’m very excited to explore - and dance of course. Here we go!
Airplane Essentials
I think you can always learn something about a person based on what they carry with them, whether it’s in a pocket or a purse. This is especially true when the person in question is travelling. What sorts of things can you not afford to lose if your checked bags go missing for a few days? Which items are most important to you? For the average person, such items would probably include passport, wallet, phone, and some more personal items like headphones, jewelry, and maybe a snack. For me, the answer is very different: pointe shoes. As a dancer on tour, I ALWAYS carry at least one pair of pointe shoes on the plane with me. We have a crate reserved for the dancers’ shoes that travels from city to city along with the costumes and sets, but you never know when something couldn’t go wrong. Because let’s face it. A ballerina without her shoes isn’t a ballerina (when dancing in The Nutcracker at least). What do you carry with you when travelling by plane?
Liam Caines
Tonight was our first performance of Nutcracker this season. We performed to a sold out, enthusiastic audience in Victoria, BC.
Amongst the many magical moments in our production, tonight had the world debut of Hazel and the 12 baby polar bear cubs. The students did a great job, and I love that they refer to me as either Mr. H or papa bear.
