Ballet Chicago's Nutcracker

[Helene]

Thanks to Jack Reed, we have some beautiful photos of Ballet Chicago's "Nutcracker". Click to enlarge; they're all worth it! Once you open one you can use the "Next" link in the upper right and the "Prev" link in the upper left to scroll through:

(Additional photo ID's added from Jack Reed's post below)

Marie and Friends (Meghan Behnke [2012]):

Act I Party (Meghan Behnke [2012]):

Battle (Jordan Nelson as Drosselmeyer [2012]):

Snow (with Molly Brown and Ted Seymour [2013]):

Snow Pas de Deux -- 2 views (Molly Brown and Ted Seymour [2012]):

Chinese Tea (Elliott Nunez, Grecia Delgado [2014)]:

Arabian Coffee (Hannah Markowitz [2013]):

Waltz of the Flowers (Hannah Rosenfeld, Shea Smith, Emily Fugett [2014]):

Snow Pas de Deux (Meghan Behnke and Ted Seymour [2014]) and Sugar Plum Pas de Deux (Dana Coons & Kramer Snead [2014]):

[Jack Reed]

Thanks to Helene for posting these. I'll try to post further identifications of the seasons and the casts shown as I get them. (The sharp-eyed will notice some subtle costume modifications along the way, for instance in the Snow pas de deux, reflecting the unstinting labors of the ladies currently numbering seven who comprise the school's wardrobe committee - "The Guild of the Golden Needle." This school really is a community project.) Meanwhile, there's some history of this production and the schedule of the current season, running through December 20, in Heads Up!

[sandik]

... reflecting the unstinting labors of the ladies current numbering seven who comprise the school's wardrobe committee - "The Guild of the Golden Needle."

Is that what they're actually called, or is that your name for them? Either way, it's a lovely title!

[Jack Reed]

That's the official name, given with capital letters, in the program. Their work is lovely too, and moves pretty well - you can't see that so well in these images.

[Amy Reusch]

These are charming! Kudos to the dancers, The Guild, and the photographer!

[kfw]

Looks like a lovely production! Thanks, Jack and Helene,

[Jack Reed]

It's become a well-dressed production since it first "graced the boards" in 1997, I believe, but what draws me back each year is (of course) the quality of movement - the size of the effect - they dance "big" - and the apparent way they all hear their music - the choreographers and their dancers.

Although the image shown above looks like it was arranged for the photographer, the new Battle is the "danciest" I've ever seen, as part of an "all-dance" Nutcracker, with no pantomime, but - as with any good dance - the action is clearly visible and effective owing to its (rapidly changing) layout (not to mention the clarity of the dancers' "line" individually).

[Jack Reed]

Here are the casts and year of production shown in the images above, with some further information about where some of the dancers appear regularly now, although as I'm noting in my reviews on another thread, some have returned for the current BC Nutcracker production in Chicago:

The first three images: Act I party scenes w/Marie - all Meghan Behnke, from 2012 (In 2014, grown up in just two years, she's in the role of the Snow Queen.) Ted Seymour appears in the second image as Dr. Stahlbaum, and the date also confirms my inability to place the third image, where Jordan Nelson appears as Drosselmeyer, in the newly-revised battle scene.

Snow Scene: in all three images, Molly Brown & Ted Seymour, from 2013 (both now w/Suzanne Farrell Ballet)

Arabian: Hannah Markowitz (now w/Richmond Ballet), from 2013

Waltz of the Flowers: Hannah Rosenfeld, Shea Smith, Emily Fugett , from 2014 (Hannah is free-lancing, Shea & Emily are at BC)

Chinese: Elliott Nunez, Grecia Delgado (at BC) from 2014

Snow Scene: : Meghan Behnke & Ted Seymour, from 2014

Sugar Plum Pas de Deux: Dana Coons & Kramer Snead, from 2014