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From inside the studio, music evocative of falling snow begins. Soft flute trills accompany dancers as they pirouette effortlessly – or so it seems – across the marley floors in their pink satin pointe shoes. Down the hall, a more robust music escapes a second studio. Two groups of dancers face one another, poised yet prepared for the choreographed battle in which they will soon engage. And from a third studio, a buoyant, jubilant melody complements dancers as they playfully skip and twirl around their Mother Ginger.
When December arrives, these acts – Waltz of the Snowflakes, The Battle, and Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles – along with many others will be polished to near-perfection and cohesively woven together to create Ballet Brazos’ annual production of The Nutcracker Ballet.
Widely considered one of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s most famous compositions, The Nutcracker first emerged in 1892. However, it was not until the mid-1950s when the famed New York City Ballet performed George Balanchine’s reworked staging that the show began consistently drawing crowds. By 1960, The Nutcracker had finally earned its reputation — in New York City and throughout the United States — as a Christmas classic. Ten years ago, two creative and confident women — Suzanne Moreau and Diana Wilcox — brought this holiday tradition to the Brazos Valley.
Moreau began dancing at the age of three. During her high school years, she performed with both the Beaumont Civic Ballet and Jefferson Jazz Ballet preprofessional companies. Following graduation, Moreau planned to relocate to Dallas to pursue musical theatre and additional dance opportunities, however scoliosis surgery and meeting her husband, Chuck, changed the trajectory of her life. “I really enjoyed performing, but when I met Chuck it was love at first sight. We got married a year later, and I didn’t need to go to Dallas,” she says. After her recovery, Moreau returned for two years to the Beaumont Civic Ballet, where she developed a love for The Nutcracker, and then continued her dancing career in Bryan/College Station. Eventually Moreau decided to make one of her lifelong dance dreams a reality. “I knew in my heart that one day I was going to open a dance studio. That’s all I wanted to do,” Moreau explains. “I was feeling a void, so I started pursuing the Lord in a deeper way. And that’s when He gave me my studio, knowing that I was going to give it back to Him.” Moreau opened Suzanne’s School of Dance in College Station in 1992, running the studio for 21 years before passing it to one of her former students, Bethany Sleebos and her husband, Patrick, who now lead Suzanne’s School of Dance with the same passion and love Moreau poured into this entrepreneurial endeavor for more than two decades.
Wilcox also began dancing as a young girl, following in the footsteps of her mother, who was a professional ballerina. She grew up in the studios where her mother taught, listening to the music and watching her mother’s students perform The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and other ballets. “I would take whatever classes I could, or if I was too little, sit in on the big girls’ classes. I just absorbed it all,” Wilcox reminisces. She attended a Dallas-area performing arts high school, but following graduation Wilcox decided to switch gears completely and become a scientist. She earned degrees in wildlife biology and chemistry from Texas Tech University, but continued dancing throughout her college years. “I always encourage our dancers — the ones who are going to become doctors or engineers — to keep dancing. If there’s a dance department at your college, GO,” Wilcox instructs. “That’s what I did. I continued dancing, taking classes and being in productions. Eventually, when I was a stay-at-home-mom and looking for what to do next, I thought to myself, ‘What do I know how to do? I know how to teach ballet.’” Wilcox returned to the studio, teaching classes wherever her family lived before opening her own studio and nonprofit dance company — Dance Arts Los Alamos — in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1992. When she and her family moved to Bryan/College Station, Wilcox joined a local dance studio, where she continued training young dancers and developed her own Nutcracker Storytime Production to share throughout the Brazos Valley during the holiday season.
In December 2011, Moreau and Wilcox’s paths converged. Both brought dancers to a Christmas showcase at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and they both noticed that every studio performed to music from The Nutcracker. The wheels began to turn. “In my mind I was thinking, ‘College Station ought to have its own Nutcracker,’” Wilcox remembers. “I had never met Suzanne, but I knew who she was … and so I introduced myself, told her my idea, and asked what she thought about getting together dancers from different studios to put on a Nutcracker ballet.” Moreau recalls feeling as though Wilcox’s timing was right. “There was so much good talent. I felt like we were ready for something like this.”
This dynamic duo enlisted the help of Katy Ellison, an experienced teacher and director of pre-professional dancers and former professional ballerina herself. “We knew Katy needed to be a part of this,” Moreau explains. Wilcox adds, “she had a background as a stage professional and had directed large-scale Nutcracker Ballet performances. When we went to her, she told us, ‘If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.’” And so together, the three embarked on a journey to create the inaugural show.
Moreau and Wilcox’s creative vision, Ellison’s experience and guidance, and the hard work contributed by this leadership trio and their team of volunteers resulted in two completely sold out shows the following December … and the holiday tradition was born. The success of that first production also led to the formation of Ballet Brazos, a nonprofit organization committed to instructing, educating, and enriching the lives of young people through the art of dance as well as sharing quality classical ballet performances with audiences of all ages.
Throughout the last decade, Ballet Brazos’ production of The Nutcracker has grown in size and notoriety, quickly becoming one of the most highly respected productions in Texas. The reputation is earned, at least in part, because of the partnerships and cooperation on which each element of the production is built. Many ballet companies, schools, and studios perform The Nutcracker and other ballets. But Ballet Brazos is not a company, a school, or a studio; Ballet Brazos is a collaborative effort between companies, schools, and studios. “From the beginning, this was about community,” Wilcox explains. “We make it a priority, and don’t support any competition between studios.” Auditions are open to anyone with appropriate ballet experience, and the auditions welcome dancers representing nearly a dozen studios throughout the Brazos Valley. In an effort to maintain an environment void of favoritism toward any particular studio, auditions are adjudicated by neutral dance professionals and choreography is created and taught by teachers from many different local studios and the TAMU dance program. This allows studios and dancers to unite as one at Ballet Brazos with a focus on showcasing local talent, cultivating an appreciation for the arts, and inspiring the next generation of dancers.
Also contributing to the stellar reputation earned by Ballet Brazos’ The Nutcracker are the many different components that together make up the Nutcracker world. From immersive backdrops and cleverly designed sets to hundreds of beautifully vibrant and elaborately hand-made costumes, each of these special aspects of The Nutcracker contributes to a truly captivating experience for those in the audience.
Every Saturday between August and December, as the rest of Bryan/College Station wakes early to make it to the Aggie game on time, nearly 140 dancers from across the Brazos Valley wake to make it to their Nutcracker rehearsals on time.
Among those dancers are the two extraordinarily talented ballerinas who will this year dance the coveted role of Clara: 13-year-old Kara Michaelson from College Station and 14-year-old Sophia Gordon from Caldwell. After years of hard work and dedication — and dreaming about playing Clara — both were thrilled to receive this honor. “It was surreal to me,” Kara recollects. “When I was younger I watched the older dancers and thought, ‘I want to be in that role someday.’” Sophia shares, “It was really surprising, but also really exciting. It’s been a dream role of mine since I was a little mouse.”
When it comes to this year’s production, Kara and Sophia are most looking forward to the Waltz of the Snowflakes Pas de Deux, a scene during which they will partner with guest artist Seth York, and the Party Scene, because it challenges them theatrically. “I love the Snow choreography, and since I don’t get a lot of chances to do partnering, it’s nice to be able to work on that,” Sophia explains. “I love the pas too,” Kara agrees. “But I also love the party scene because you get to act more.”
The role of Clara has appeared on the resumes of many professional ballerinas, and both Kara and Sophia hope to take what they learn throughout this experience and apply it toward a career in ballet. “I hope to be dancing with the Corps de Ballet with the Houston Ballet,” Kara reveals. Sophia adds, “I’m fine with any company, as long as I’m dancing.”
Come December, fan favorite Dominick Oliver will reprise his roles as Mouse King and Lead Russian, and Seth York, a member of the Bruce Wood Dance Company in Dallas, will return as Nutcracker Prince. After an overwhelmingly positive response in 2021, the incredible Kathryn Morgan — a professional ballerina as well as a popular teacher, judge, and content creator —will also return to the stage as Sugar Plum Fairy. “Ballet Brazos is such a special company,” Morgan shares. “The kindness, hospitality, and professionalism (not to mention the talent) blew me away. I can’t wait to be part of this special production again!”
During the Saturday evening performance, the delightfully whimsical and cheerful role of Mother Ginger will be played by a local celebrity: KBTX Chief Meteorologist Shel Winkley. (Mother Ginger is commonly, though not always, performed “en travesti,” which means by a member of the opposite gender.) “It has been a very long time since I’ve seen The Nutcracker,” Winkley admits. “I'm looking forward to getting to experience the role and see the production from the other side. Putting on and performing in The Nutcracker is no small feat - I'm honored to add a very small part of the magic Ballet Brazos will bring to the holiday season.”
Someday, when the time is right, Moreau and Wilcox will pass the baton to a new artistic director. Until then, they continue to strengthen both the production and the organization, and to plan for what is to come. “Our biggest dream is a live orchestra,” Wilcox shares. Moreau adds, “we would also like to find an underwriter for the entire performance. Our credibility and reputation are there, and if we had an underwriter we could fulfill our biggest visions.” Both would also like to see additional performances for schools and the community, perhaps spanning two weekends instead of one. As far as Ballet Brazos is concerned, the emphasis remains on its mission. “Our focus is Nutcracker, and educating and bringing dance into our community. We do that well, and we want to continue doing that well.”
There is something special – even enchanting – about The Nutcracker. From the festive holiday party and dramatic battle scene to the splendidly ethereal Land of Snow and the deliciously fanciful Land of Sweets … there is no moment in The Nutcracker untouched by a hint of magic, for both the audience and the performers. This holiday season, join Ballet Brazos for its 11th annual production of The Nutcracker Ballet and experience the magic for yourself.
The Nutcracker Ballet
Presented by Ballet Brazos
Friday, December 2, 2022 — 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 3, 2022 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Rudder Auditorium at Texas A&M University
Tickets available through the MSC Box Office at boxoffice.tamu.edu or (979) 845-1234.
