“The best part about being an angel is
the fog dispensers spit out fog and it
feels special to be dancing through it,”
she says. “The fog it touches you, and
it’s cold but not slippery.”
This year, Marin says she is excited to
“watch everyone get ready backstage
and see everyone doing this and that
and costume changes.” Her love for
dance helps Marin control her nerves.
he might be in the party scene,”
McSwain explains.
To keep this family-friendly event
a holiday tradition, the NC Dance
Theatre has a synopsis with photos
on its website, ncdance.org, to help
children understand the story. For
older children, there are “Nutcracker”
activities and crafts.
“When I get on stage it’s a relief
because I get to dance and focus on
doing my part,” she explains. “I feel
proud that the audience gets to see
me perform.”
Discounted Tickets
Available for Schools
NC Dance Theater offers a discounted
“Nutcracker” performance for school
groups on Thursday, Dec. 19, 10:3011:30 a.m. The price is $10 per person,
or $7 per person at CMS Title I schools.
To purchase tickets, call 704-414-2775
or reserve seats online at
ncdance.org/nutcrackerschools.
Seats are still likely to be available in
early December.
For regular “Nutcracker” tickets, call
the box office at 704-372-1000 or visit
ncdance.org/nutcracker.
Gerberich, who will play this year’s
Sugar Plum Fairy, also played a
“Nutcracker” angel when she was a
child. Her childhood dream role was
to be Uncle Drosselmeyer.
“He is funny and scary and guides the
whole show,” Gerberich says. “I was
drawn into the magic of the story and
Drosselmeyer is the one who makes
the magic happen.”
But the Sugar Plum Fairy is a crowd
favorite.
NC Dance Theatre’s 11 “Nutcracker”
performances keep professional
dancers busy, as most perform
multiple roles, according to Logan
McSwain, the company’s director of
marketing and communications.
“That means for one performance a
dancer might be the Mouse King, the
next performance he might dance in
Spanish and then another performance
16 – My School Rocks! | December 2013
Marin Boulware, above, was an angel in last
year’s show, while Anna Gerberich, right, was
the Sugar Plum Fairy.
FREE
Even though Gerberich has been a
professional dancer for nine seasons,
she can, with a child’s wonder, reflect
on how it once felt to be the littlest
person on the “Nutcracker” stage.
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“I remember loving it,” she says, “and
thinking it was magical.”
Holly Raychelle Hughes is a writer,
wife and mother living the writer’s life
of sitting down at her desk daily and
pounding away at her keyboard until
something magical happens, she breaks
a nail, gets hungry or has to parent.
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Photos by Peter Zay
“One of the best things about being
in the ‘Nutcracker’ is hearing little girls
in the audience gasp when I step out
as the Sugar Plum Fairy,” Gerberich
confides. “The costume transforms
me. The sparkly tutu and crown add
pizzazz, making me feel like a pretty
princess.”
Buy $25 in
gift cards
11/25-12/31
and receive
a $5 gift card
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www.myschoolrocks.com | My School Rocks!
17