Magic City Nutcracker preserves tradition with recorded 2020 show

While there won’t be any live performances of the Magic City Nutcracker this year, the dancers still will offer their talents via a pre-produced show shot in various historic Birmingham locations and offered for free online.

Founding Director Stephanie Rangel said shooting began on location in July. Almost all rehearsals have been held via Zoom or in small, socially distanced gatherings.

The group of performers includes 77 dancers from 18 dance studios and is comprised of a mix of young dancers, some as young as 5 years old, as well as college students and professionals from the Birmingham area, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and other places in central Alabama, according to a press release.

Parts of the production this year have been shot in historic locations throughout the Birmingham area, including the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Clubhouse on Highlands and, in Vestavia Hills, the Sybil Temple. But part of it was filmed in Puerto Rico.

“We’ve just been very, very thankful,” Rangel said. “Everyone we’ve worked with has been so gracious.”

Being able to shoot at these historic locations also helps the production from an aesthetic standpoint, Rangel said.

“At the turn of the century when the Nutcracker is supposed to happen … it’s like we really are stepping back in time,” Rangel said.

Just having a show to shoot is something to celebrate, Rangel said. Despite the pandemic, the students and the dancers have excelled in their roles for the production, she said.

“It’s given us a task,” Rangel said. “It’s given us a way to celebrate the holiday. … It’s been amazing.”

The entertainment industry has been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and entertainers and those who work in the industry all over the country have seen their paychecks cut or eliminated. So, having this show helps meet a need, too, Rangel said.

“It’s huge,” she said. “Monetarily, it’s not as big as we would like to do. It’s given everyone a reason to get back into the studio and work. It’s very hard for a performing artist to not have a performance to look forward to.”

The production is very family-friendly, Rangel said, and due to so much of it taking place via Zoom, she said parents have gotten even more involved this year and some have even done some volunteer roles.

The children have been great so far with all of the changes due to the pandemic, she said.

“They’ve been probably better than the adults,” Rangel said. “Frankly, I don’t know how they’re doing it.”

The show is important, especially for young performers, as they learn about various aspects of working in the performing arts, as well as building relationships with their fellow cast and crew members, Rangel said.

“We can see dancers learn how to work on a movie set,” she said.

The show also offers scholarships to young performers who otherwise would not be able to participate due to the cost of costumes and production fees.

The show will be released by Dec. 5 and will be streamed for free on Facebook during the first week of December. It also will be available for purchase in DVD format.

For more information, visit Magic City Nutcracker on Facebook or magiccitynutcracker.org, or contact marketing chairwoman Hilary Perry at hilarywperry@gmail.com or 205-706-5812.