Between the two casts of The Nutcracker and the numerous shows in Montreal and Ottawa, around 150 children take part in the production. They are delighted to rehearse under the supervision of André Laprise, the appointed children's rehearsal Master.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens’s rendition of The Nutcracker is a holiday tradition performed every season at Place des Arts since 1964.
After two years of absence, the children will be back on stage for the first act – including the famous Christmas scene where Clara receives her nutcracker – and the show will therefore be presented in its entirety.
Dozens of young dancers aged 6-17 are featured in the production. They were selected through auditions in collaboration with l’École supérieure du ballet du Québec for the shows in Montreal, and the Académie de danse de l’Outaouais for the shows in Ottawa.
Chosen from among the hundreds who audition each year, these talented performers appear as the Mice, Rats, Angels, Reindeer, Matrioshkas, Sheep and in the Coffee scene.
“The best job” of the season
André Laprise was first assistant to choreographer Fernand Nault during 25 years on productions of The Nutcracker. He’s also a former GBC dancer, and a graduate of the École supérieure de ballet du Québec. Each year, André supervises the staging of the ballet and spends time “refining each of the roles for the kids,” he says. “In terms of training, I’m here to stimulate them, even in the lesser roles.”
A true Christmas classic, The Nutcracker ballet is based on the story written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816. Although what is seen on the stage today is different in detail from the original story, the basic plot remains the same: a young girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against The King of the Rats.
Nault brilliantly conceived this tale of magic and adventure, Laprise says. “He always wanted the ballet to be accessible and touch as many children as possible. This is a piece for everyone.” The dancing, the Tchaikovsky music, the sets by Peter Horne, costumes by Francois Barbeau, and lighting by Nicholas Cernovitch, create a total experience. Laprise says The Nutcracker is “a dynamic family atmosphere. It’s part of our DNA.”
Laprise is thrilled that new audiences will experience the holiday season’s favourite. Enormous amounts of time and work goes into producing all the glitz and glamour that is The Nutcracker, but he isn’t shy to say that he has “the best job” of the season.
From left to right and from bottom to top: Myane Thammavongsa, Camille Martin De Smet, Clara Esteves, Lena Cléo Haddad, Katia Onyshchenko, Théodore Ionescu, Emi Cotera Yamakawa, Lauriane Gallagher, Leonel Alexander Rodríguez Pérez, Jeanie Lee, Diego Flint Djebari, Marine Claveau, Maxime Coulombe, Emmerich Chenonceaux-Morin, Rosie Maheu, Jeanne Vigneau, Auguste Thellen-Tremblay, Kyan Mari, Juliette Bernard, Léonore Genois, Annabelle Croteau, Victoria St-Jean, Athena Chen, Ève Dupuis, Emma Perron, Maëlys Zerlauth Anaël Tigiffon, Clémence Lacasse, Chloë Stirrup, Florence Tarlton, Fiona Chen, Xinyao Wang, Anna Fleisch, Lena Mikami-Potvin, Marie-Hélène Yang, Miya Capuano, Sunny Chen, Valéria Matte-Milosserdov, Roméo Gault, Clémence Julien Gabrielle Desrosiers, Momoko Taira, Maude Roberge, Chloé Piuze, Catherine Truchon, Camille Hénuset, Katrina Lungu, Sofya Kovalskaya, Rose-Emmanuelle Ethier-Perron, Princess-Rose Gonzalez Escudero, Carmen Sarafzadeh, Eva Grant Chaloux
Absent from the photo: Mila Boudrias, Héloïse Pilon, Raphaël Tousignant
From left to right and from bottom to top: Alice Barbé, Nerissa Lee, Beren Wesley, Tatiana Oppong-Lefebvre, India Phath-Gagnon, Vivien Baer, Ariane Mandeville, Rosemarie Brousseau, Sara Grecoff, Sofia Chiosa Faguy, Nahla Desrosiers-Ouassif, Jérôme Monty, Romain Charron, Milan Rochon, Laure Menu, Cassandra Deschamps, Heloísa Silveira Portella, Gabriel Beaupré, Alice Clement, Elias Shanski, Coralie Jérôme, Maelle Perez Bordeleau, Thomas Lortie, Patricia Nikitin, Chloé Lavoie, Natalia Mandri Lugo Clémence Madore, Laure Billeau, Héloïse Léveillé, Alexane Dépelteau-Lacassagne, Natasha Pazhouhandeh, Thalie Turene, Mathilde Lavallée, Mathilde Léveillé, Aliki Kouloumentas, Tayler Parkinson-Massey, Marie-Chantale Gauthier Stephania Koujelev, Chelsea Dewart, Marianne-Sophie Robitaille-Bruneau, Maxine Laguerre, Laure Fontaine, Maïka Morissette, Anna Giulione, Victoria Villegas Azuaje, Hailey Giguère, Annabelle Li, Emilie Delisle, Catherine Zhang, Sarah Bernard
Absent from the photo: Laurence Bourduas-Gravel, Mikaella Buist