CLEVELAND — It’s the time of the year when people are rushing to see the Nutcracker live, including here in Cleveland at Playhouse Square.
Cleveland Ballet premiered an entirely new production of the beloved holiday tradition.
They followed the traditional storyline of Clara, her Nutcracker Prince, and their magical journey through the Land of the Sweets.
Cleveland Ballet says, “the production was elevated with new costumes, sets, and choreography for a lavish holiday experience.”
Anna Cole has been a dancer since she was 7 years old. That is also when she danced in her first Nutcracker as a little gingerbread.
Now, years later, she is dancing in all of the lead roles in different shows in the Cleveland Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker, including the Sugar Plum Fairy.
“I looked up to the Sugar Plum Fairy so much and think all of us younger ones did. And now that I am doing the sugar plum fairy professionally, I see all the joy and sparkle in the little kid’s eyes when they look at me which is I make sure to make those connections, so the next generation is inspired,” said Cole.
Cole has been performing in The Nutcracker for two seasons with the Cleveland Ballet. Over the last two weeks, she has performed in all 11 shows this season. Dancers say The Nutcracker can be hard on the body.
“It is a little tougher doing it on stage, and we're running the ballet two three times a day, doing different roles when we're in the week leading up to shows,” said Cole.
It was during practice when Cole would experience an injury that jeopardized her chances of performing this season.
“I was being lifted, and something went wrong, and my ribs kind of shifted out of place,” said Cole.
Cole says even though she had a common injury for dancers, she was scared of how it would impact her chances of performing.
"At one point, when I was seeing the doctor, she said that it was going to be something serious and that I was going to have to stop dancing for the season. And I was really upset, because I love Nutcracker so much and the roles, I got this year were amazing,” said Cole.
But it wasn’t long before things took a positive turn, Cole took a week off and reassessed with her doctor.
“She figured, since I'm a professional dancer and we are athletes that know our bodies really well, and I was able to gage where I was at in my recovery process in order to come back and dance in the Nutcracker,” said Cole.
With the help of the physical trainers on site, she can get the care she needs to stay injury free.
“The PT’s really help us recover between shows with whatever we need. they needle us cup us or do some mobilization to help us feel better and our bodies feel more supple and ready to go for the next show,” said Cole.
Amy Elsoffer is a physical therapist from University Hospitals, aiming to help the dancers dance as long as possible without injury.
“It keeps them for lack of a better words, on their toes. If they didn't have us, they'd have injury upon injury and breaking down their bodies earlier than they would,” said Elsoffer.
Physical therapy has become part of Cole’s weekly routine and has played a major role in her recovery this season.
“She seemed to be doing better weekly; she would check in occasionally, with either me or the other physical therapist that works with us. And we slowly incorporated her back into dancing, and then she was able to perform,” said Elsoffer.
The difficult journey has helped her appreciate every pointe and pirouette.
"It’s a full circle moment for me and to be back here, in a professional setting is such a great feeling. And when I'm out on the stage I hold it so close to my heart, because this is what I've always wanted to do and this is so special for me,” said Cole.
Cleveland Ballet’s The Nutcracker will return next December at Playhouse Square.
