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Cover story
BY TARMO HANNULA
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JOYFUL ORCHESTRA Bassoonists Amy Duxbury and Gail Selburn are part of the orchestra during the Battle Scene of Santa Cruz Ballet Theater’s “Nutcracker, Clara’s Dream.” ENTERTAINMENT
SHINE ON Large agricultural metal hoops, typically used for berry fields, will be used to create a tunnel of lights at the fairgrounds’ Holiday Lights.
Tarmo Hannula F or years, the annual “Nutcracker, Clara's Dream” was a winter holiday staple put on by the Santa Cruz Ballet Theater. With their own take of Tchaivovsky’s ballet, that was typically staged at the Santa Cruz Civic, Cabrillo College’s Crocker Theater and the Mello Center in Watsonville, something new is in the air.
The ongoing pandemic has shaken things up this season, but the show is still in the works, according to Artistic Director Diane Cypher. She said an alumni-driven film is being brewed up to replace the stage version and will be aired on the TV screen and possibly at an area theater.
“Covid has been difficult, as we all know,” Cypher said. “We thought that the film would be a way of giving back to local sponsors and as a good project to keep our dancers motivated.” Featuring 44 dancers and four “character artists,” the choreography by alumna Flora Chatwin tells the story of Clara’s Dream. This year various scenes have been filmed on locations around Santa Cruz featuring SCBT, including longtime sponsors of SCBT and local landmarks such as
OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE Members of the Santa Cruz Ballet Theater dance for a movie segment of “Nutcracker, Clara’s Dream” on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz.
Tarmo Hannula
MORE HOLIDAY CHEER
Virtual Tree Lighting
A 30-foot Aptos Blue pine tree that recently landed in Watsonville Plaza will be the centerpiece of the City of Watsonville’s holiday festivities. A virtual tree lighting will be filmed and then released to the public on Sunday via the City’s social media pages. The tree and the Plaza will be lit up each night through the New Year.
Pie Drive-Thru Celebration
The Watsonville Senior Center will be hosting a Thanksgiving Pie Drive-Thru on Saturday from noon-3pm at 114 East 5th St. Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Watsonville’s older adults are welcome to come by and pick up a slice of pie— first come, first served.
Holiday Lights Drive-Thru
The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave., and the Agricultural History Project will be hosting its first-ever Holiday Lights Drive-Thru event Nov. 27-Dec. 27. The half-mile drive-thru will feature 84 large lighted holiday displays, lights, Christmas trees and more, as well as decorated tractors from the AHP. For information, visit fairgrounds-foundation.org.
BRIGHT
HOLIDAY Early day farm equipment is highlighted with lights at the fairgrounds this season.
Contributed
Holiday Craft Sale
The Corralitos Woman’s Club will be holding its annual Holiday Craft Sale Nov. 28 from 11am-4pm. Shop for decor, baked goods, jewelry, cookbooks, soaps, face masks and chains, comfort straps and more. For information and updates, visit corralitoswomansclub.com or visit the organization’s Facebook page.
Santa Tour
Santa Claus will be visiting each City of Watsonville district to spread some holiday cheer to families Dec. 9-11 and Dec. 16-18 from 5-7pm. A schedule with order of districts will be released in the next coming weeks on the Parks and Community Services Facebook and Instagram pages.
Contributed CLASSIC RIDE Lucy Rudnick, who plays the role of Clara, takes a ride on the Looff Carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk as part of Santa Cruz Ballet Theater’s filmed “Nutcracker” performance.
the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse. The film will be directed by alumna Georgina Wilson. The third alumna, Alicia Houser, rounds out the creative team with directing rehearsals, filming rehearsals, helping direct the dancers on set, scouting locations, photography and more.
“SCBT is lucky to have such a Dream Team working on our holiday offering this season,” SCBT organizers said. “
Wilson, a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin with a BFA in dance, embarked on a freelance career which took her to the U.K. After relocating to California, Wilson contacted SCBT after Covid hit and mentioned she was interested in filmmaking; her interest sparked the idea for the “Nutcracker” film.
Jace Hardwick started his own production company in the LA area and his Action Studios crew will provide the cinematography. Filmography will include drone footage at West Cliff Drive and a local Christmas tree farm.
Chatwin, a recent graduate, plans to pursue a dance degree at the UC Irvine.
Music Director Pamela Martin conducts the score, which was recorded at last year’s performance at the Civic Auditorium by Devi Pride. Composer and audio expert Jerome Begin arranged and “cleaned up” the recording from last year at the Civic and made the sound track suitable for the movie.
“Our 2019 orchestra was phenomenal and we are thrilled that the score of our film is played by these wonderful musicians,” Cypher said. “Many of them have also volunteered to be featured visually in the movie, adding an extra layer of artistry to the product. Be ready for something different than our normal production, in almost every way.”
SCBT was founded in 1982.
“We all need something fun right now, and we thought that a family could stream this into their living room and be entertained with something joyful for 40 minutes,” Cypher said.
