LETTER FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT
“Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.” These are the words of a United States Marine
Corps slogan that I shared with parents and cast at our kick-off call for this year’s production. When it looked like our 24th consecutive production of The Nutcracker was going to be canceled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kylie Casino, our Artistic Director; Bridget Adams, our Producing Director; and Laura Johnson, our Production Coordinator asked, “How can we still put on a show? Can we do it safely?”
Back in March, we had to cancel our production of Carnival of the Animals, a collaboration with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, so we really wanted to give our dancers a chance to perform The Nutcracker at the end of the year. We explored filming our Nutcracker at locations around our hometown. During this exploratory phase, it became apparent that other cultural institutions in our community were also struggling because of the pandemic. In addition, during the summer, scientific experts were telling us that the winter would be very difficult, and we anticipated that everyone would need a lift. Those three things were our primary motivating factors: give our dancers a chance to perform, help other local organizations, and lift the spirits of our community during the holiday season. Overarching those three motivators was safety - everyone would social distance as much as possible, wear masks during rehearsals and “on set,” and hand sanitizer was always going to be “on hand.”
During filming, the team had to “adapt, improvise, and overcome” multiple times: rain forced the rescheduling of one shoot, a power outage forced the relocation of another shoot, and unusual surfaces destroyed many ballet shoes. We even had to install danceable surfaces in some locations. In spite of the challenges and long days shooting scenes multiple times, none of our performers, crew, or volunteers complained. You might ask, “Why would they be willing to do this?” The answer is really quite simple. They love ballet.
As you can imagine, what you are about to experience by watching The Masked Nutcracker from the comfort of your own home came about through the perseverance and hard work of many.
To Kylie Casino, Bridget Adams, Laura Johnson, Argo Navis Studios, WXTX-Fox 54, and all of our sponsors, donors, performers, parents/guardians, volunteers, and location partners, I extend a very heartfelt “thank you” on behalf of the entire Board of Directors. I would also like to offer special thanks to the Knight Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation Fund of the Chattahoochee Valley, Inc. This production would not have been possible without all of you.
To our young performers, years from now, when you encounter the challenges that life invariably brings, think back to this moment in time. Know that whatever obstacles your future self encounters, you have the capability to adapt, improvise, and overcome them all.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone around the world in some way. Our hearts at The Columbus Ballet go out to all of you. Our sincere hope is that during these difficult and challenging times, this production brings a smile to your heart. For those of you in the Columbus area, we invite you to join us next year in person at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts for our 25th anniversary production of The Nutcracker. For those of you outside of the Columbus area, wherever home may be, we hope you are able to enjoy a live in-person performance in 2021.
Wishing you peace, comfort, and joy this holiday season.
Ed Sutherland
President, Board of Directors
The Columbus Ballet
