Behind the Scenes of the CCB's The Nutcracker

Tolland Patch was fortunate to catch the matinee and last performance of Connecticut Concert Ballet's The Nutcracker this past Sunday. It was a lovely production, with a stunning set, beautiful music and truly professional dancers from the adorable children mice in The Fight Scene to the sophisticated, adult ballroom dancers in The Party Scene.

Tolland residents Serena Lotreck, 13, shined in her lead role as Military Doll. She displayed maturity in a careful balance between the rigidity of a military figure, athletic power and unusual grace. 

Grace Mazzarella, also 13, brought controlled poise to her roles of Chinese Lead and Marzipan Demi-Soloist, respectively.

Mazzarella and Lotreck were all elegance and grace as Snowflakes in the enchanting Land of Snow.

There was hardly an empty seat in the house. It was no wonder—after 36 years of putting on the production, the CCB clearly knows how to put on a first-rate ballet.

As mentioned in a previous article, dancers in The Nutcracker undergo a rigorous rehearsal schedule. According to Lotreck, days leading up to the performance can run as long as 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Yet some of the dancers' favorite memories are spent relieving tension in rehearsals by using physical comedy or creating silly rhymes as mnemonic devices.

"When you put it all together, from the rehearsals to backstage experiences, too, and then, finally, to the performance," Lotreck said, "it's something that you never forget."

Meghan Moore, for Manchester Patch, shares even more of life backstage at the CCB through the included images. Her photos and videos vividly capture what rehearsals entail before a big production.