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 of the other, hovered there weightless, and then was silently and effortlessly set back down again. It’s some kind of magic.

As is the whole show. The movement, the choreography, the costumes, the music, the story, all combined added up to a gorgeous night of entertainment. 

Info and tickets:
https://spectrumdance.org/harlem-nutcracker-teaser/ 

Photo courtesy of Tera Beach, Executive Director of Spectrum Dance Theater 

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