Columbus Ballet aims to make ‘The Nutcracker’ accessible to all

COLUMBUS, Ga. ( WRBL ) — Watching “The Nutcracker” ballet has become an annual holiday tradition for some local families. What some might not know is that the Columbus Ballet is constantly working to make the show accessible to the community.

Rehearsals for this year’s showing of “The Nutcracker” have been underway for weeks. As dancers perfect their pointe technique and choreography, the team behind the show is working to make the ballet accessible to local students and families.

“We actually take ‘The Nutcracker’ out of the RiverCenter [for the Performing Arts] into the community throughout the season,” Briged Adams, theatrical director for “The Nutcracker,” said. “We will be visiting 11 different schools this year, which is a lot, and a great opportunity for students.”

It is not just an effort to bring more interest in performing fine arts, but also a way to bring the show to community members who may not see it otherwise.

“Many of those students can come to the show and many of them can’t come to the show,” Adams said. “The idea is to allow as many kids in the community as we can to see what ‘The Nutcracker’ is all about.”

This year, the team is also bringing fourth graders from 10 different schools to the RiverCenter to watch the performance. The ballet’s artistic team hopes the show will have something for folks of all kinds.

“They can come and watch the ballet and have this wonderful Christmas story that is easy to understand,” said Producing Director Laura Johnson. “There’s something that would entertain your kids with the battle scene, and then something to entertain the adults. So its just a great starter ballet.”

Until December, the “Nutcracker” team is hard at work practicing for show day. Opening night at the RiverCenter will be Dec. 7.

The team will also be bringing in professional dancers from out of state for show days. The goal is to give their dancers a taste of the professional dance world while bringing additional holiday magic performance attendees.

Angela Null, the show’s artistic director, talked about working with her local dancers.

“It’s been a joy to work with the dancers in the studio and we’re really just having a great time putting everything together,” she said.

Any schools interested in bringing a performance of “The Nutcracker” to their campus or attending a school performance of the show at the RiverCenter are asked to contact the Columbus Ballet for more details.

Contact information is available on the ballet’s website .

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