Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

Kate Thomas was seven when her parents first signed her up for recreational dance classes at the Dance Center of San Antonio. But the school’s founder, Vanessa Bessler, quickly detected that her new student had the potential to become a real dancer and suggested that the girl be moved into the intensive program.

“I spotted talent, yes, but I also noticed that she had great facility and flexibility, strongly arching feet, and I immediately suggested to her mom to move her into the more intensive program,” said Bessler, a former principal dancer for the National Ballet of Panama. “As we worked together, she became very passionate about dancing, not just the quality and the technique, but also the way she interpreted the dance.”

Now 16, Thomas is one of the stars of the school and its pre-professional company, the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio, winning national competitions and getting offers of scholarships from prestigious ballet schools, such as the programs associated with the Bolshoi Ballet, Ballet West in Utah, Houston Ballet, and most recently from the Royal Ballet in London. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, she has not yet been able to take advantage of this dream-come-true opportunity.

But she will have another opportunity to charm San Antonio audiences in this year’s production of “The Nutcracker,” the absolute must-see holiday show in North America. Though Bessler and others at Dance Center of San Antonio considered cancelling the annual tradition due to the pandemic, they eventually relented, not wanting to deprive the young dancers from their chance to shine.

“We wanted to bring some happiness to them, so, we decided that doing the traditional “Nutcracker” would be something to look forward to for the dancers,” said Bessler.

To make everything safe for everyone, they followed all safety protocols, while recreating a theater environment right in their studio. Scenery was put in place, professional theatrical lights, too, and the familiar story came once again to life, but for the camera this time, instead of a live audience. They just finished filming Saturday, Dec. 12, after a single week of rehearsals in the make-shift “theater” and three days of filming.

The show features 115 young dancers, which Bessler described as a smaller cast than usual. Its streamed premiere is set for Dec. 18.

Bressler is known for including dancers from other San Antonio schools, all ages – even tiny toddlers – and youngsters with disabilities. In this and previous interviews, she has described how satisfying and encouraging it is to see these children experience joy and trying hard to be contributing members of the cast. Some come up with their own spontaneous moves, that, she, as the choreographer, loves incorporating in the action. She always refers to them as “artists with disabilities.”

“I believe the art of dancing belongs to everyone,” she noted. “I am awed by these kids. They impress me more and more with each new production. And the other artists help the artists with disabilities.”

 The 2020 “Nutcracker” will reflect our current lives in many ways. Dancers will be sporting masks on stage and Clara’s family members will be visiting with each other via Zoom. And there’s a very contemporary twist to Clara’s magical dream that transports her and the Nutcracker Prince into the Land of the Sweets. Instead of dreaming, Clara will be experiencing the entire adventure via virtual reality goggles! When, at the end, her father turns off the Wi-Fi, the children’s uncle appears with gifts, including a drone that starts buzzing around.

Thomas is so glad that she and the other students get to perform. “Performing keeps us going,” she said. In addition to “The Nutcracker,” the company normally has another, spring show, usually one of the favorite classical ballets, such as “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty” or “Cinderella.” This will be her third time to be the Sugar Plum Fairy. “It’s a principal role, and the fact that I have been able to perform it three times – the first time when I was 14 – that’s really a unique opportunity,” she said. “Dancers wait their whole career sometimes to perform that role.”

And there may be more exciting developments coming her way. In addition to the invitation by the Royal Ballet, the young ballerina has also qualified as a finalist in the Prix de Lausanne competition, a huge, international, career-shaping competition where ballet companies recruit talented dancers for advanced training or offer them professional contracts. Dancers from 43 countries are participating and the competition is fierce. So, she will be getting ready for that final round.

For the upcoming six performances of “The Nutcracker,” CBSA has partnered with the Bird Bakery to provide cookie decorating kits for children that also include six cookies in the shapes of ballet slippers, ballerinas and nutcrackers. During intermission, “piping pros” from the bakery will offer a cookie decorating tutorial to help with the “sweet task.” You can also pick up sandwich platters for both children and adults to savor while watching the show at home.

“The Nutcracker” by the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 19 at 2 & 7 p.m.; Dec.25 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 26 at 2 & 7 p.m. The show is a fundraiser for the company; tickets range from $50 for a single performance to much higher priced packages that offer a variety of additional benefits. To purchase: https://www.childrensballetofsanantonio.org