Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

‘Tis the season for The Nutcracker and the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio is kicking it off early with four performance at the Lila Cockrell this weekend. But it’s not going to be the usual Nutcracker. Founder and artistic director, Vanessa Bessler, has reimagined the traditional story to reflect some local traditions and contemporary life

“The new generations do not relate to the aristocratic German family (featured in The Nutcracker),” she said. “We decided to mix the tradition of The Nutcracker with the lifestyle of the 21^st century.”

So, instead of the Stahlbaum family home, when the show opens, audiences will see a Christmas party that takes place in the home of the Gonzalez family in San Antonio. The family is taking selfies and making tamales, and Clara’s dad is a military man deployed abroad. Everyone is busy with making food and getting the house ready, and the gift toys brought by Clara’s godfather are no longer mechanical dolls and Harlequins but drones and digital gadgets. The godfather himself is an engineer.

But there will be a nutcracker, promises Bessler, brought to Clara by her father who was stationed in Germany.

More changes happen throughout the show, including a major one. Clara does not fall asleep by the tree and her adventures are not a dream. Instead, travel through the Land of Snow and everything else that happens, occurs in virtual reality she watches through her goggles.

The dancing is real, however, and performed live by nearly 200 children who will appear on stage as party guests, mice, transformers (yes, they’ll fight the mice!), and in the various divertissements in the Land of Sweets. Expect to see 24 Snowflakes “floating” on Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music in the Land of the Snow, and 30 Flowers entertaining Clara in the Dance of the Flowers. Dancers range in age from 3 to 19 and they come from a number of local dance schools in addition to Bessler’s ballet academy.

Another remarkable innovation that CBSA is introducing is featuring young artists with disabilities in its productions – youngsters in wheelchairs, amputees, kids with Down Syndrome, and others.

“We want to encourage more of them to join us,” said Bessler, the former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Panama. “Art is for everybody; it nurtures the soul. I would like to see a whole scene with wheelchair artists.”

Children with special needs were first included three years ago when three youngsters appeared on stage, but the number has quadrupled this year. Bessler mentioned a little girl in a wheelchair who dances with her arms. “She is so excited to be part of our production. These kids get to enjoy the splendor of the stage like the others, and they, in turn, bring beauty to the production,” she said.

To help her manage and choreograph the huge enterprise that is CBSA’s Nutcracker, the artistic director has a team of teachers and choreographers who assist her, including Lauren Ader, Jocelyn Lager, Edmond Cuillette, Ryan Martins and Tina Valles.

Bessler founded the Dance Center of San Antonio ballet school and the Children’s Ballet five years ago, with the intention of giving students of all ages opportunities to shine on stage and have important roles, including leading ones. So many talented youngsters drop out of ballet training because they have to wait years before they get those big parts. Hers is the only pre-professional company in the city – and apparently, one of the few in the entire country – that allows very young dancers to be soloists and leads, when they demonstrate the necessary abilities.

She is happy that her son, William Bessler, has decided to stick with dance, after having some doubts a few years ago. What changed his mind was seeing the incredibly powerful male dancers in St. Petersburg, Russia on a recent trip. He will appear in the Nutcracker, said the proud mama.

The Nutcracker, presented by the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio, Nov.21-22 at 7 p.m., Nov. 23 at 2 and 7 p.m.; Lila Cockrell Theater, 200 E. Market St., 78205; tickets available at the Lila Cockrell box office and through Ticketmaster.