Andrea Wolff Ballet Academy’s Delighting Final Performance: The Nutcracker

Andrea Wolff is a ballet academy established twelve years ago and is headed by the experienced and successful director Andrea Wolff. The academy prepares a different final ballet presentation each year, and all academy members, ranging from 5 to 33 years old, demonstrate what they have learned throughout the year. This year’s presentation was about the story of the Nutcracker and was held on November 28 and 29 and December 9, 2018 in the Pablo Tobón Uribe theater. This extraordinary ballet extravaganza captured all the enchantment of a fantasy world where all dreams can come true and where life is mystical and fascinating.

The Nutcracker tells the story of a girl named Clara. It begins with Clara in the Christmas Eve party that her parents are throwing at her house. Her uncle, Drosselmeyer, gives her a nutcracker which her naughty brother broke. She sadly fell asleep, but her dreams opened a magical world. The Nutcracker came to life and a fairy lead them through the world of candy, but it was all a dream. Or was it? Andrea Wolff’s academy tells the story splitting the presentation in different acts: the Christmas Eve party and the Candy Fantasy World. Differently from past presentations, this time all acts and dances belonged to the original plot and story. For example, in the different acts of Sleeping Beauty, scenes from other classic movies like the Puss in Boots were also included, but this time they were focusing on authenticity rather than creativity. The use of other movies in the same presentation was confusing and the audience did not even know how those extra stories were connected to the original story being told. However, the Nutcracker flowed chronologically, and it helped the audience make better connections and interpret what the dance is trying to convey.  They could have an aesthetic experience, not thinking and just enjoying the moment.

Marius Petipa (1818-1910) was a ballet dancer and choreographer, and is considered one of the most influential figures in ballet history due to his contribution to all of the choreographies of different productions, including the Nutcracker. Divergent companies and academies use these choreographies and modify them in order for them to be modern and exponentially more perfect.

The Andrea Wolf Ballet academy uses these choreographies too and adapts them for the benefit of the presentation. Some are also done from scratch, exclusively generated from the mind of the director, Andrea Wolff, and a choreographer named Nora. They take the different levels into account depending on age range, and that’s when they decide who should dance in the solos, but they usually go to the most admirable dancers. Members practice these choreographies five hours each day from Monday to Saturday. Between past presentations, like the “Don Quijote;” the choreography of the Nutcracker had a combination of more delicate and advanced steps.

This preparation was clearly reflected on the final presentation. The students danced beautifully and flawlessly. As they danced they made the audience feel emotional, engaged in the story, and share the dancer’s dream of becoming a professional ballerina. Moreover, comparing it with the Russian Ballet that presented the production of the Black Swan in Medellín on November 7, 2016; they still did an impeccable job. The Russian Ballet is a professional company that travels around the world presenting their talent, but the choreography between the two presentations were both equally admirable, a very impressive feat due to the fact that Andrea Wolff is just an academy in which the alums are just starting their dance experiences.

Additionally, the costumes and the scenery were all designed according to each dance and act. It was a very important aspect in order to create the environment of what was going on. These were all made by artisans and were perfect. They were also aesthetically pleasing for the audience in the final presentation. The costumes were drawn by girls in the academy and then sent to a seamstress to tailor them. Subsequently, Andrea Wolff and her husband decorate the costumes to add glow and make them stand out. Additionally, the background was also impressively hand-painted by a girl of the academy with the help of the director and her husband. The background was huge and imposing, covering not just the back but also the sides where the dancers came out. These unbelievable details made the presentation more professional and look even more real.

On the other hand, the location did not allow the presentation to reach its full potential. The Pablo Tobón Uribe theater is located in the center of the city which is considered to be a dangerous zone, which makes people skeptical about going there. This theater also has the disadvantage that it does not have the commodity of a parking lot. The cars had to be parked on the street leaving them at risk of any crashes when the cars circulating. This was the downside of the presentation, as the audience had to manage to get there without the certainty that the cars and even the people themselves, would be safe.

Overall, Andrea Wolff ballet academy’s presentation was marvelous and impeccable, the best way to begin the holidays.