Up Front at The Harlem Nutcracker
Here I am working front-of-house for Spectrum Dance Theater for their latest iteration of Donald Byrd’s The Harlem Nutcracker, now playing at On the Boards. It was a really lucky opportunity to both be of service and to get to see the show. I love doing front-of-house. Everyone is so excited, filled with anticipation and wonder as they approach the desk with (or without) their printed confirmations. And then I get to tell them they are all checked-in, the house will open soon, and the bar is open right now. Only then, with that out of the way, is their mind cleared to focus on the experience to come. Spectrum was kind enough to allow me – after everyone was seated and the doors had closed – to see the show. Sometimes you see two dancers do a lift that seems to defy human abilities and at the same time be the apotheosis of those same abilities. I got to see a perfect one of those tonight. It was as if one dancer levitated from the stage and came to rest on the outstretched arms