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President: Rob Schimmelpfennig Executive Vice President: Judy Robson Vice President: Mike Fedler Vice President: Bill Kline Treasurer: Rich Vanek Secretary: Debbi Waring BOARD MEMBERS: Baerbel Baginski, WSL Steve Candella Neroy Carter Arnie Esterer Adele Herzog Mary Ellen Higley Ken Johnson Mark Jones Randy Jones Gloria Kaull Kim Laurello Ed Looman Chris McClure Tom Picken Scot Sinkler Linda VanBuren Joseph Varckette Ellen Winer Phyllis Duffy-Zala | ||||
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Executive Director Cindy Rimpela Business Manager Pamela Hammond Public Relations/Marketing Coordinator Shelagh Dubsky Dance Coordinator Lyn Savarise Music Coordinator Meeghan Humphrey Visual Arts Coordinator Phil Mullet Technical Liason Joe Ford Maintenance Coordinator Marquitta Mollick Evening Desk Coordinator | ||||
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 2928 West 13th St. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004 phone: 440-964-3396 |
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Posted: Wednesday, November 06, 2002
Every year Ballet Theatre Ashtabula produces several breathtaking performances of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” With two months of rehearsals and a one month run of the show, cast members share close quarters in the dance department and share many unique experiences together. In addition to the friendships that are formed between cast members, some have an even closer bond with others in the cast than their fellow dancers. Many families or mother/daughter teams share this experience by getting involved in the production together.  For Susan and Cassie Powers, the Nutcracker is a special time of year. They have performed together in the show since 1994, when Cassie was in the second grade. Susan would sit and watch her daughter in dance classes here at the Arts Center, and decided to get involved with classes herself, because it was, as she puts it, “a good way to stay in shape.”
“I figured that if I was going to sit and watch her, I may as well get involved,” says Susan. Cassie began taking ballet classes after watching the Nutcracker with her Brownie Troupe in 1993. That year the part of Clara was being performed by Alison Dubsky, daughter of AAC Dance Coordinator Shelagh Dubsky. This year that same part will be performed by Cassie. “Had I even thought that I would see Cassie as Clara someday,” says Susan, “I can hardly believe watching her. She’s someone I admire.” For Cassie, having her mom in the production with her is a very special thing. She remembers the first year they were in the show together, and how she was excited to be in her mom’s “group” in the Party Scene in Act I. “She was my ‘real mom’,” says Cassie. “It was really cool.” They also performed together in the Battle Scene that year. Even with the hooded mouse costumes, Cassie and Susan were able to find each other on the stage. “I was always able to tell which one was my mom,” says Cassie. “They can tell by my feet,” says Susan. Susan and Cassie not only perform in the show together, but also take classes together here at the Arts Center. Susan says that while she enjoys the time she gets to spend with her daughter, she also tries to out of the way and let Cassie do her own thing. “Who wants their mom in ballet class?” says Susan. But according to Cassie, she doesn’t mind at all having her mom there. “We encourage each other,” she says. “She’s always saying she’s getting too old. But I tell her that no other mom her age looks like this.” For Chelsea Miller, who has been performing in the Nutcracker since 1997, having member of the family in the show with her “makes it more fun.” “It’s something we can do together,” says Chelsea.  Chelsea’s dad, Jeff, got involved in the show in 1998, one year after his daughter started with the show. Having only taken one dance class in his lifetime - to fill a physical education requirement in college - Jeff credits the other parents with his decision to join the cast of the Nutcraker.
“The moms kept after me,” he says. “But it really wasn’t much of a twist of the arm.” Jeff started out in the Party Scene in 1998, then added the Battle Scene the following year. “I crossed the gender line for the first time as a mouse,” he says. “I was also the oldest, so they started calling me ‘Papa Mouse’.” According to Chelsea, having her dad with her backstage is not only fun, but also gives her a feeling of comfort. “I remember one time as a Bon Bon, I got hurt,” she says. “It was comforting knowing that if something happens, he’s there.” For Caitlin Dubsky, having her mom backstage with her is never an issue. Caitlin’s mom is AAC Dance Coordinator Shelagh Dubsky, who serves as Artistic Director for The Nutcracker. When asked what is like having her mother as the director of the show, Caitlin says it’s “weird.” “Some kids are afraid of her, some respect her more,” says Caitlin. “But I can joke around more. It’s a different kind of relationship.” According to Shelagh, working with Caitlin during the show means that she sometimes has to put aside the fact that she’s her mother. “I don’t see her as a daughter, especially in rehearsal,” says Shelagh. “Working with her is not hard at all. She’s not as sensitive. Alison (Shelagh’s older daughter, who now studies dance in New York City) was more so, there was more of a ‘mother/daughter tug of war’.” Even so, Shelagh admits that she and Caitlin are in this together. “You take the production home with you,” she says. “When you go home together after a really intense rehearsal, or if something bad happens at rehearsal, that stays with you. When we walk in together on a Sunday morning, we’re tired together.” Caitlin does admit that sometimes she wishes her mom could be in the audience and not in charge of everything, especially when she sees the other kids with their moms helping them get ready before the show. “But I know that she has to help everyone, not just me,” says Caitlin. Because of the amount of time they all spend together during the run of the show, Caitlin says that there is always a real closeness that forms between the cast members. “They’re closer friendships than at school,” she says. “You see them all the time, you go through more together.” Jeff agrees with the feeling of closeness within the cast, saying that “these are all my kids.” “I have one real child, but I also have, like, 50 others,” he says. Shelagh agrees, saying that she has so many memories of the years she has done the Nutcracker, and that with “each kid there’s a little something.” They all admit that now that they’ve been on stage in the show, they have a better appreciation for what goes into getting it up and running. “You don’t realize the work that goes into it when you are in the audience,” says Cassie. “I couldn’t imagine sitting in the audience and not being a part of it.” “It’s amazing to me the dedication these kids have, and the wealth of talent we have in this area” says Jeff. “There’s an intense sense of professionalism on that stage. This really is a big city production on a small town stage.” According to Shelagh, having a family get involved in the show is a great chance for them to get to know each other better. “It’s a very positive, very neat experience,” she says. “It’s nice to see your children and to know their friends. You have a knowledge of your children’s lives. You feel connected with them. “It’s a special occasion sharing this as a family,” she says. So once Chelsea and Cassie graduate and leave the AAC ballet program, will their parents still continue performing in the show? “I’ve only just had to start thinking about that,” says Susan. “I’ve got two more years to decide.” | ||||