Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008

Ballet shoes and pink tutus

Local ballerina takes stage in this year's production of "The Nutcracker"

Paulena Blalock, the Journal Staff

For the Loss family of Lee’s Summit, ballet is the family business. This year, third-generation ballerina, Isabella, 10, will follow in her grandmother’s and mother’s footsteps as she takes the stage as a toy solider in Kansas City Ballet’s production of the “The Nutcracker.”

The Loss family also has had a tradition of attending the “The Nutcracker” every year since Isabella was 18 months old.

“Attending ‘The Nutcracker’ is our version of decorating the family Christmas tree,” said Andrew, Isabella’s father. “The tradition started with my mother, Lesley, dancing. Then Liz, Isabella’s mother, as a young woman had danced in the ‘The Nutcracker’ for my mother’s dance studio.”

“The first time I see the performance each year it takes my breath away,” Liz said. “I’m so proud of her. Even though I know the story so well, I have such a different emotion of pride and love seeing her perform. Each year, after the many rehearsals and being backstage, I still have a fresh perspective of seeing her perform in the costume on stage with a professional dance company.”

Liz and Andrew met while Liz was a student at the Turning Point Studio in Carrolton, which was owned by Andrew’s mother, Lesley, a former professional ballerina from Denver, Colo. Growing up around the studio, Andrew would build stage props and would work as the back-stage crew, which led to their meeting.

“Andrew’s mom wanted to bring dance to the community when they moved to Carrolton from Denver,” Liz said. “Lesley was such a fantastic teacher to learn ballet from.”

With a mother and a grandmother who were both former ballerinas, Isabella became interested in ballet at an early age. She started dance classes at the age of 4 at the Independence Ballet Conservatory and when she was 6, she auditioned for the Kansas City Ballet School and was placed in pre-children’s ballet class.

“I love dancing,” Isabella said. “It’s so much fun and it’s a lot of hard work.”

Isabella is performing in her third ‘Nutcracker’ ballet this year and dancing as one of the toy soldiers. In the past two performances she danced as an angel.

“I’m so excited about this year’s performance,” Isabella said. “I’m also a little nervous. There are a lot more steps in the battle scene when the toy soldiers dance. When I was an angel we just walked around a little. I have to remember to step left instead of starting off with my right foot.”

The classic story of “The Nutcracker” takes place on Christmas Eve, at Clara’s parent’s holiday party. Clara’s godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, gives her a wooden nutcracker as a present. Her brother, Fritz, who is jealous of the gift, breaks the nutcracker, upsetting Clara. After the party is over, Clara slips downstairs to the parlor during the middle of the night and is soon surrounded by mice. The nutcracker and the toy soldiers come alive and a battle starts between them and the mouse king. With Clara’s help, the mouse king is defeated and the nutcracker takes Clara to the Kingdom of Sweets.

Isabella has been rehearsing for the performance since October, working a total of four days in dance class and rehearsals each week.

“Rehearsals go by really fast,” Isabella said. “We went into the studio to try out for the various parts and Mr. Jordan, the chorographer, showed us some dance moves that we did. You’re really lucky if you get to perform in the ‘Nutcracker.’”

Isabella said she wants to continue her studies at the Kansas City Ballet School, with the aspirations of becoming a professional ballerina. She is taking classes called Pre-Children’s Ballet II class to help prepare her for going Pointe, the next stage in becoming a ballerina.

The Kansas City Ballet’s production is one of the largest productions in the eight-state region with an estimated 200 area children, who are students in the Kansas City Ballet School, and 25 professional dancers from the Kansas City Ballet in the production. The artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet, Emeritus Todd Bolender, choreographed the Kansas City Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.” The Kansas City Ballet Orchestra, under the direction of Ramona Pansegrau, is performing Tchaikovsky’s music.

“The Nutcracker” will run Dec. 6-28 at the Music Hall, 301 W. 13th S., Kansas City. The cost of tickets to the ballet range in price from $20 to $75.

To start off this year’s “Nutcracker” season, the 14th annual Sugar Plum Fairy luncheon will be held at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 6 the Marriott Muhelbach Hotel located at 200 W. 12th St., Kansas City. The luncheon is an event for children of all ages and attendees will have an opportunity to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and a few of her friends.

Tickets start at $60 for children to $1,500 for a table sponsorship. For more information about the luncheon and tickets to the performance “The Nutcracker,” visit www.kcballet.org or call 816-931-2232.