New England Ballet Photo
For 20 years, the New England Ballet Company, like so many others, has staged productions of The Nutcracker. Attending performances of Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet has long been a holiday tradition among audiences everywhere. Last winter, ballet-goers in this area had the opportunity to celebrate performances of the work by those among us with autism and other disabilities. For the second consecutive year, the New England Ballet Company will present its “Adaptive Nutcracker Suite” at the Parsons Government Center in Milford.
According to Stacy Kurata, who coordinates the New England Ballet’s “Adaptive Nutcracker Suite” and is the organization’s vice-president, the program launched after Debra Marchese, who runs the Adaptive Programming offerings for the City of Milford’s Recreation Department, asked if New England Ballet dancers would mentor the individuals with whom she works. The connection was made, Kurata said, when Marchese, who has a child with autism, danced in a recent New England Ballet production of The Nutcracker.
In preparation for last year’s “Adaptive Nutcracker Suite,” New England Ballet Company dancers worked with individuals with special needs in Milford, at St. Vincent’s Special Needs Services in Trumbull, and at the Giant Steps School in Southport. Marchese, Kurata said, teaches at all of these facilities.
Between 25 and 30 individuals with special needs participated in last year’s “Adaptive Nutcracker Suite,” Kurata said. That included people of all ages.
“Last year, we had a group of adults who were wheelchair-bound,” she said.
Those individuals performed the much-adored “Waltz of the Flowers,” Kurata said.
An equal number of individuals with special needs is expected to participate in this year’s production.
“We change the choreography to what they’re capable of doing,” Kurata said. “A lot of the choreography is actually done by our dancers.”
This year’s performance may very well feature an individual with special needs performing the iconic role of the Sugar Plum Fairy with one of the company’s dancers, Kurara said.
“Last year,” Kurata said, “we didn’t know what to expect” of the adaptation, which she described as “a very heartwarming production to pull off.”
Kurata said, “I think our dancers learn almost as much” as the performers with special needs.
The New England Ballet’s “Adaptive Nutcracker Suite” will be performed on Friday, December 16, at 7 p.m., at the Parsons Government Center in Milford. For more information, call (203) 799‑7950 or visit www.newenglandballet.org.