What is a sugar plum?

Wondering why the Sugar Plum Fairy is named as she is?  Does the idea of sugar plums leave you with less-than-desirable images of shriveled prunes?  Well, let the truth be known.

Sugar plums are just hard candies.  The word "plum" refers more to the shape of the sweets (round) than the flavor.  This term dates back to the 1600s, and since at that time hard candies were dipped by hand, such sweets were very expensive and luxurious.  This sort of leads into the connection with holidays and gifts, as such fine sweets were probably only eaten occasionally as part of a celebration. 

The Sugar Plum Fairy is basically just the candy fairy.  She's elegant and pretty, like perfectly formed candies.  She has a sugary personality, and she is the leader of the Kingdom of Sweets.

When you see the Sugar Plum Fairy in the future, try to associate her with elegant brightly colored candies rather than actual plums.  Also--since sugar plum sweets can be any color or flavor, the Sugar Plum Fairy can also be dressed in any color.  She's not wrong or inauthentic if she's a color other than purple.

Snowflake Dancewear Inspiration

This dancewear inspiration series will give you inspiration to style your dance wardrobe after your favorite ballet characters.  Whether you are looking for inspiration in an upcoming rehearsal or you're  just enjoying dressing up, I hope these looks can inspire you to have fun with your look.

Snow is one of the most iconic parts in Nutcracker.  It is one of the most difficult pieces to dance, and nearly all female dancers on a professional track dance it at least once.  Snow is supposed to represent a beautiful icy winter forest, so the dancers wear costumes in shades of white, silver, and pale blue.  This look incorporates the colors of snow as well as some modern warm and wintry elements.

Waltz of the Flowers Dancewear Inspiration

This dancewear inspiration series will give you inspiration to style your dance wardrobe after your favorite ballet characters.  Whether you are looking for inspiration in an upcoming rehearsal or you're  just enjoying dressing up, I hope these looks can inspire you to have fun with your look.

Waltz of the flowers is a beautiful, elegant part of Nutcracker.  It's most dancers' first major corps de ballet part.  Flowers usually wear shades of pink, red, and other warm colors, and floral accents are common.  This look is based on floral inspirations, but keeps things relaxed and not over the top. 

Support your dancer through Nutcracker

Nutcracker is one of the biggest events in the ballet dancer's year.  For young students, it's often the first ballet they get to participate in.  For pros, it's an exhausting time where they must dance in up to 50 performances between Thanksgiving and New Year.  Regardless of your dancer's age or experience, dancing in the Nutcracker is a huge responsibility.  There are almost always numerous performances, and each show's audience is full of people fulfilling their holiday traditions.  There's an expectation to provide a top-quality performance that exceeds expectations since many of the audience members have seen the ballet before.  This can lead to dancers feeling more stressed and less joyous than they do when performing other ballets.  Families and friends can do a lot to support dancers through this tough season.

Dancers, especially those doing intense choreography like snow scene, need to care for their bodies.  It's common for dancers in these positions to get small injuries (bruised toenails, etc.) and lose weight during the performance run.  Parents and roommates can help a lot by keeping the cabinets stocked with Band-Aids, muscle rub, and healthy snacks.

Many dancers get tired of the Nutcracker long before the performance run is over (and sometimes even before it starts-rehearsals often begin months beforehand).  Some veterans who have performed in the production for years vehemently dislike the music.  Don't play Nutcracker music at home, and be aware that your dancer might express irritation at the Tchaikovsky suite playing in public places like the mall.

Plan non-ballet activities, but be conscious of the ballet schedule.  Most dancers relish opportunities to attend a Christmas part or take a shopping trip with family and friends.  When setting up these things, be aware of the time it takes to get ready and un-ready for performances.  Most dancers need a minimum of 2 hours before shows to warm up and do hair, makeup, and costumes.  It takes about an hour to completely decompress from a show, clean up, and change clothes.  If fun events are too close to show times, they lose their fun and become stressful.

Every ballet is different: there is no right or wrong

The other day, I overheard a conversation about the Nutcracker Ballet.  One woman was telling her friend to get tickets to the Nutcracker put on by company X.  She claimed that company X's Nutcracker was much better than company Y's because company Y got the story all wrong.  She said it was creepy that company Y portrayed Clara as a little girl when everyone knows that Clara and the Nutcracker are lovers.

While there's absolutely nothing wrong with having opinions and preferences, I want to take a moment to advise caution and preach open-mindedness.  Just like fairy tale ballets are rarely similar to their Disney counterparts, different versions of shows (put on by different companies, in different geographic areas, etc.) are often quite dissimilar.

Using just The Nutcracker as an example, there are thousands of different ways the story can go.  Sometimes it's set in the 1800s.  Sometimes it's set in the present.  Sometimes it's set in Germany, or Russia, or the United States.  Sometimes Clara is a little girl.  Sometimes she's a teenager or young adult.  Sometimes the Nutcracker Prince is a little boy.  Sometimes he's a man.  Sometimes the Nutcracker and Clara fall in love (or are set up to fall in love when they grow up), and sometimes the Nutcracker is married to the Sugar Plum Fairy.  Sometimes Clara actually is the Sugar Plum Fairy.  Sometimes there's no romance in the ballet at all.  Sometimes the variations are very traditional and portray their countries of origin, and sometimes they show something else entirely, like decades.  There are numerous possible endings to the ballet, and none of them are right or wrong.

Every single story ballet can go in any of many directions.  In Swan Lake, Odette sometimes dies at the end.  In other interpretations, she and her prince live happily ever after.  Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty all have similar varied possibilities.  Sometimes the main character has siblings or magical companions, and sometimes not.  There might be humorous moments, or the ballet might be more serious.  Whatever it turns out to be, there is no wrong representation.

Most companies must consider their audience and staff of dancers before settling on a story for a ballet.  Companies that usually have a lot of children in the audience tend to shy away from sad or scary stories.  Odette is more likely to live happily ever after in Swan Lake, and you may not see Romeo and Juliet at all.  Local and regional companies with a small number of dancers may choose versions with fewer characters.  Companies that are not affiliated with dance schools often do versions of ballets that do not have child characters.  Local companies that depend heavily on youth dancers often have a different makeup from year to year (such as more high school seniors one year and more elementary schoolers the next), and this may cause them to use different versions of ballets based on what dancers they have available.  Such a company may have a Nutcracker ballet with a teenage Clara one year, and a Nutcracker with a little girl Clara the next.

One thing that is consistent across fairytale story ballets is that emotions and relationships portrayed are obvious and clean.  Teens and adults fall in love with other teens and other adults.  If a character looks like he's the dad of another character, he's almost certainly the dad (and not the boyfriend or rival or evil pirate).  If a character is moping or crying, she's sad.  If she's laughing or smiling, she's happy.  Big story ballets do not contain deep, confusing plot twists or sexual elements.  (Note: There are ballets that contain these things such as Spartacus [the dramatized story of the historical character] and Swimmer, [a re-telling of Lolita].  However, these are usually shorter ballets with small casts, and they are generally not advertised as family friendly.  Trust me, you will know the difference.)

Also, nearly all companies print summaries of the ballet's story in the program.  This short overview should provide titles and relationships for most of the characters so you can enjoy the ballet without confusion.  For The Nutcracker, the program may describe Clara as a "girl" or a "young woman."  It may say that the Nutcracker Prince takes Clara on a journey to the land of sweets to "show his love for her," or he may do so to "thank her for saving his life..."  You get the idea.  These programs don't lie.  If it says the Nutcracker Prince took little Clara on a magical trip as a thank-you, he did it as a thank-you, not because he's a pedophile.

Overall, remember that even though versions of ballets differ from place to place, company to company, and year to year, no version is wrong in regards to story.  Each version is the unique vision of the artistic director of the company putting it on.  Remembering that family friendly story ballets portray obvious emotions and do not use nefarious sexual elements can help you enjoy every show with an open mind.

Beat Stage Fright for Good!

It's common and perfectly normal to feel anxious and scared before a performance.  Understanding the increased pressure of a stage show can motivate some dancers to do their best, but for others, the situation is detrimental to dance quality.  If you suffer from stage fright and have a hard time dancing your best, there are a few things you can do to relax and let go of the anxiety.

1. Build up slowly.  If you can, practice in front of an audience. Invite your parents or friends to peek in on rehearsals (you can do this quietly/without telling everyone if your studio has an open viewing window in the lobby).  If you can't do that, practice your piece at home and ask someone to watch (even a stuffed animal can be an audience member).  Smile or make the appropriate facial expression while you dance, and look at the audience.  If you make a mistake in your choreography, move on and try not to let the audience know you messed up.  If you can do this while practicing, you will be able to do it on stage.

                  2. Talk through it.  Honestly consider what the best and worst case scenarios are for your performance.  Best: you do a great job, perfectly perform your choreography, and get lots of applause and praise.  Worst: you'll fall or mess up, feel embarrassed, and possibly get injured.  Most of the time, neither the best case nor worst case scenario actually happens. It's more of an ok case.   Speak to your director, dance teacher, and family about what to do if mishaps happen.  Know to stand up and keep dancing after a non-injurious fall and move on with the choreography after a little misstep.  If you can easily think through various situations and imagine your actions, you'll be able to perform them if they happen on stage.

                  3. On performance day, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to get ready.  This way, you aren't anxiously staring at the clock all day waiting for performance time to roll around and any fears that you'll miss your stage call will be dispelled.  You can relax and spend time with family and friends.  The alarm will tell you when it's time to get ready for the show.

                  4. Plan a relaxing activity that gets you up and moving, but doesn't totally zap your energy.  Laying on the couch watching movies can make you feel sluggish, and spending the morning playing basketball can overtire you and do the same thing.  I like doing something low-key, like going to a nail salon or making a short trip to Target to shop and walk around.  If you have school or work on the day of the show, attend as usual, but see if you can leave a little early or make time for a feel-good activity before you have to head to the performance.

                  5. Eat well.  Starting a few days before the show, avoid unfamiliar and especially unhealthy foods.  Fuel your body with the right amount of healthy foods to give you energy for the performance.  It's not the time to over or under eat, try to lose or gain weight, or taste lots of new things.  Stick to things you know and things you like.  If the performance is in the evening, I think it's best to have a pretty big breakfast, a light lunch, and then a snack an hour or so before the show.  This will give you the calories you need without leaving you with a full, bloated feeling.  You can celebrate your successful performance with a late dinner after the show.

                  6. Adjust your body temperature as needed.  It's important that you're warm before the show.  Feeling cold can intensify anxiety and trembling, and being hot can make you feel sweaty and sick.  Dress in layers pre-performance, and keep something cozy and something to use to fan yourself in your dressing room while in costume.

                  7. Drink caffeinated or soothing beverages as needed.  If you usually drink coffee or tea, now's not the time to cut back.  If you don't, it's not the time to start.  Try to stick to your usual caffeine intake, but if you feel overly tired, a small cup of coffee can do wonders to perk you up.  If you're too wired, try some peppermint tea to soothe yourself without getting sleepy.

                  8. Create a get-ready ritual.  Figure out how you feel most comfortable when getting ready for a show.  Most people feel good when they listen to their favorite upbeat music and perform tasks in a certain order (makeup, then hair or vice versa).  If you meditate or pray, think about incorporating that activity Into your routine.  The more comfortable you are before the show, the more comfortable you'll be during the show.

                  9. Have a support system.  Let your family, friends, and fellow dancers know that you sometimes experience pre-performance anxiety well in advance.  Ask if some of them can help you get back on track if panic starts to take over.  Maybe a good-luck text from your mom can dispel anxiety right before the curtain rises, or a fellow dancer can warm you up with a hug if you start feeling shaky.

If you follow these tips and believe in yourself, you're sure do a great job!