The Nutcracker makes its big return
Plus: New local crossword + News of the week — Mandy Cohen steps down as N.C. health director — Blakeney shopping center sold — CMS adds safety measures
Good morning! Today is Saturday, December 4, 2021. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger’s Weekend Edition. You might enjoy listening to our audio version on Spotify 🎧.
Need to subscribe — or upgrade your Ledger e-newsletter subscription? Details here.
Today’s Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Charlotte Christian School. Charlotte Christian wishes your family a blessed Christmas season. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14
After a year of Covid challenges, curtain rises on Charlotte Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’ at the Belk; mice and angels are bigger, vaccination or testing required for audience members
The snow scene, pictured here during a recent Charlotte Ballet "Nutcracker" dress rehearsal, is one of the most iconic scenes in the Nutcracker production. (Courtesy of Charlotte Ballet)
by Cristina Bolling
The “Nutcracker” ballet is the mother of all holiday arts traditions, one so deeply rooted for many families that it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without it. And it’s a critical moneymaker that ballet companies rely on to help fuel them through the rest of the year.
So when Charlotte Ballet was forced to drastically slim down last year’s “Nutcracker” to petite 45-minute “A Fairy-Tailored Nutcracker” performances with just a couple dozen audience members in its North Tryon Street headquarters, there was plenty of disappointment to go around.
But this year, the big Nutcracker is back at the Belk Theater, with some changes loyal audiences will notice (namely, some taller-than-usual dancers in certain roles), but with all the bells and whistles audiences expect.
Pulling it off hasn’t been easy, with ballet leaders having to make tough calls about vaccination requirements, audience protocols and choreography workarounds. They muscled through, and on Friday, the ballet began its 20-show Nutcracker run that will go until Dec. 23.
The Ledger spoke recently with Doug Singleton, Charlotte Ballet’s executive director, about what it was like to restart the Nutcracker engine, how the ballet company has weathered the pandemic and what audiences can expect once the curtain goes up.
The conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: The Nutcracker is such a huge production. What were some tough decisions you had to make getting a production of that size up and running while we are still dealing with Covid?
We started talking about Nutcracker back in March, when the vaccines were just starting to roll out for adults. There was a lot of discussion about when it would be available for youth, but we had to make decisions about Nutcracker early. During the summer we felt it was important for the families [in the Charlotte Ballet Academy] to know we were going to have a vaccination requirement for anyone that was a dancer in Nutcracker. A lot of our younger folks were not going to be able to perform in the Nutcracker.
It was just awful to let those families know. It is a family tradition, and in the ballet world, it’s forever tradition. But when we’re talking about employee safety and we’re talking about the career of a dancer, how do you create the safest experience? The vaccines were that answer. The dancers have such a limited career span, and we had already lost two years of their career which in some regards, that’s 10-15% of their career opportunities.
Q: With no kids under age 12, how do you handle the roles of all those little angels and mice and soldiers?
We had to figure out how we were going to pivot all of the roles that were under the age of 12. And it was substantial. That was a conversation with the artistic leadership team, with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, who was, and is, the choreographer for this production.
In Act 2 if you remember the angels, that is the tableau, and they do this beautiful little scene. The angels are much larger this year. It’s an opportunity for some of our older students to perform. That was re-choreographed. The battle scene will have fewer numbers. But Jean-Pierre and Christopher Stuart, our new interim artistic director have re-choreographed that together and have done a great job.
We built some new costumes for bigger bodies. You cannot put, in most cases, a 12-year-old body in a 7-year-old’s costume. The mice [costumes] got shipped yesterday, so we’ll see those soon.
There are a few parts in the party scene where we would normally have younger kids and now they’re a little older. There are a lot more costume changes because of the cast numbers. There are some new logistics being worked out with wardrobe and the dressers.
Q: Will the Charlotte Symphony still be providing live music?
The orchestra is the same, still the same number of musicians in the pit. They’ve been working through their vaccine policy. They’re ready to go. We’ve been excited to make sure we had live music in this as well.
Q: What Covid rules do you have in place for the audience?
We were one of the first in the community to come out with a vaccine or testing mandate for the audience. That is a requirement for anyone over the age of 12. We know from the experience of “Rent” that just finished and with “Wicked” over the summer that mask mandates for the audience is the critical component.
We’ll try to be pretty strict on everybody wearing a mask, but we did layer that extra bit of safety with the vaccine or testing mandate for anybody over the age of 12. At-home testing is fine. Just write your name on a Post-It note next to your test. We believe you. We trust you. Just make sure you test before you come.
Q: “Nutcracker” is such an important revenue generator for ballet companies. What was the financial toll of not being able to put on the usual show last year?
Last year we did 1 ½ percent of our typical total ticket revenues. We usually have a five-performance series and we only had two last year, “A Fairy-Tailored Nutcracker” and “Innovative: Direct from the LAB.” We made $50 grand — $34,000 for “Innovative: Direct from the LAB,” and we ended up with $22,000 for “A Fairy-Tailored Nutcracker.” Pre-pandemic, the numbers for “Nutcracker” would be $1.5 million or $1.6 million.
Q: Charlotte Ballet just celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a weekend of performances at the Belk Theater. Did you learn some things that will help inform how you put on “Nutcracker”?
I think we were all rusty. We were normally just doing shows all the time and there were so many things that, whether it was a front-of-house thing or a backstage thing, we just did. Then all of a sudden you had to rethink and relearn and redo. So we kicked off the rust and we were able to run the show. It was great. The feeling of anticipation in the audience before the show was palpable.
We tested out all the vaccine and testing policies and that went really well. The mask mandates, while folks didn’t love it, you get used to it. I hope that through the production you forget that you even have it on. That’s the beauty of a performance in general, is the ability to escape reality for a couple hours.
Q: Aside from Nutcracker, how are things going at the ballet? I know there were some dancer resignations during Covid.
We have seen some attrition. We had a lot of retirements. There were some dancers who probably only had 2 to 5 years left in their career. A dance career is only your first career, so a lot of folks were thinking about transitions anyway. It’s a lot of work to stay in shape and get back in shape. … The era of great resignations, we’re feeling it. The bench is not as deep. In the first season we lost four dancers. We hired four more. Then we hired more into the second company. We were able to backfill. One dancer resigned right after the 50th anniversary.
Q: Artistic director Hope Muir announced this summer that she’d be leaving to become artistic director for the National Ballet of Canada, and Christopher Stuart was named as interim artistic director. What’s the status of the search to fill that role?
The artistic director search committee is hard at work. I hope that no later than mid-March we will have an announcement on the new artistic director.
Q: Back to “Nutcracker”: What’s going to be going through your mind when the curtain rises on opening night?
Relief. We got everybody here. Everybody’s safe. I’m going to be really excited. I think more importantly, when the last curtain goes down, I’m going to go to bed. [Laughs.] I don’t think I’ll sleep until it’s over.
Cristina Bolling is managing editor of The Ledger: cristina@cltledger.com
Today’s supporting sponsors are Payzer …
… and Soni Brendle:
Ledger Crossword, Week 3
It’s Week 3 of our five-week run of Charlotte-themed crossword puzzles. This one has a cross-border flair.
You can find the crosswords and answers in this series as they are released at our Charlotte Ledger Crosswords page. Puzzles are posted Saturdays, with solutions posted Mondays. They’re created by Chris King, edited by Tim Whitmire and presented by CXN Advisory.
Questions or comments about our crosswords? Email crosswords@cltledger.com.
.PDF (suitable for download and printing):
To print the .PDF file, on your computer, click on “Open Ledger Crossword - PDF” (above), then click download (the down arrow), then open file and print as you usually would.
.PUZ (suitable for use on tablets and computers with Across Lite app):
The .PUZ file, which lets you solve crosswords on a tablet or computer, is for use with an application called Across Lite. You need to download and install the app, then download the .PUZ file above (“Open Ledger Crossword - PUZ”), then open the app and use it to open the file on your tablet or computer.
This week in Charlotte: CMS grapples with how to keep guns off campus; political filing season begins; South Charlotte shopping center is sold
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
The mayor and the country club: (Ledger 🔒) Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles applied to Myers Park Country Club this summer, and the club is considering her for an “honorary” membership that would waive the $95,000 initiation fee. After The Ledger started asking questions about whether that would violate the city’s gift ban, Lyles said through a city spokesperson that she had consulted with the city attorney and decided she would refuse the membership if it is offered.
General Assembly finishes up: (AP via WFAE) The N.C. General Assembly wrapped up most of its work for 2021 this week, although a few items of business could send lawmakers back to Raleigh before the new year. The legislature will hold no-vote meetings until Dec. 10, and they could return starting Dec. 30 for limited purposes like veto overrides and to address bills related to redistricting.
CMS gerrymandering accusation: (WFAE) The chair of Charlotte’s Black Political Caucus, Stephanie Sneed, says school board member Carol Sawyer drew a redistricting map that moved Sneed out of Sawyer’s district. The two ran against each other four years ago. Sawyer said she didn’t know Sneed lived in the precinct that was moved.
Filing season to start: (Ledger) Candidate filing for city elections starts on Monday, and there will be changes in at least two at-large City Council seats and two district seats.
Education
Guns on campus: (Observer) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials are grappling with ways to keep guns out of schools, as the number of incidents of guns in area high schools continues to rise. On Friday, Superintendent Earnest Winston said a CMS workgroup is evaluating solutions and that the district has placed orders for clear backpacks for high schoolers that are backordered until February. He said there’s a team working on a tool for middle and high schoolers to report the presence of guns anonymously and that the district is looking into metal detectors and wands for schools.
CMS test scores and Covid: (Ledger, via WFAE) The decision to keep Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools closed for most of the 2020-2021 school year resulted in a big drop in test scores for students. A WFAE analysis of test data showed that CMS test scores were worse than scores in neighboring school districts that brought students back much earlier.
Local news
N.C. health chief leaving: (WNCN) Mandy Cohen, who led North Carolina’s Covid response as the head of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, is stepping down from her role at the end of the year. She didn’t detail what’s next for her but said she had no plans to run for political office. The state ranks #14 in fewest Covid deaths per capita and #33 in percentage of residents fully vaccinated.
Broadcasting school equipment sale: (Ledger 🔒) Carolina School of Broadcasting is liquidating studio equipment through a Charlotte estate sales company, but school officials say the school, which dates to 1957, remains open to students. A school official returned a call from the Ledger on Friday afternoon with the statement that “school officials confirmed that enrolled students are continuing to matriculate.” She declined to answer why the school was liquidating equipment.
Business
Blakeney shopping center sold: (Ledger) Northwood Investors sold the Blakeney and Blakeney Crossing shopping centers in south Charlotte for $181M. The buyer, Regency Centers Corp., says Blakeney is a “high-quality, well-leased center with strong demographics.”
Black Friday mall data: (Ledger 🔒) The number of shoppers at Charlotte-area shopping malls on Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend was down this year compared to 2019, but there was a wide range of dips, with one mall seeing only a 6% decrease and another seeing a 24% drop. An analyst explained how the thrust of Black Friday has changed in recent years, and why we didn’t see the “doorbusters” this year that we have in years past.
Good reads
You Are Here: (Charlotte magazine) Each month, Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling throws a dart at a map of Mecklenburg County and writes about the place where it lands for a Charlotte magazine feature called “You Are Here.” The monthly feature proves the point that every place — and every person — has a story to tell. This wrap-up of 2021 columns takes readers to places ranging from the spot where an airplane crash killed the father and two brothers of “Tonight Show” host Stephen Colbert, to a Freedom Drive parking lot where a food truck chef serves up dishes honoring his late mom.
Dickie V takes on cancer: (News & Observer) Andrew Carter of the Raleigh News & Observer takes an inside look at basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale’s battle against cancer. The 82-year-old is being treated for lymphoma but is still serving as an ESPN analyst. Known for his enthusiasm, Vitale has to be quiet when off-microphone to preserve his voice for broadcasts. He says he draws inspiration from former N.C. State basketball coach Jim Valvano. “It’s emotional … how people ... have been so good to me. Really,” Vitale says.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Giving Tuesday: (Tuesday) Ledger members wrote in about more than 50 charities for the Ledger’s second annual Charity Shout-Out, which is a chance for Ledger readers to learn more about the good work being done by local non-profits as we enter the holiday season of giving.
A pastor who made magic: (Ways of Life 🔒) Rev. William Ragsdale Sr. preached the message of God’s grace at United Methodist churches across North Carolina and beyond, and he was also a magician who loved entertaining audiences. “Bill found meaning in playing tricks on people. Yet there was nothing phony about the life he lived.”
Jay Bilas Q&A: (Wednesday 🔒) It’s a busy time of year for ESPN basketball analyst and Charlotte resident Jay Bilas, who tells us about his travel routines, work/life balance, practicing law and his opinions of the NCAA and Charlotte’s airport (“nowhere to sit”).
Olympic teams: (Wednesday 🔒) The United States Performance Center, a company “dedicated to research-based athletic development, injury prevention and overall health and wellness,” received $25M in the new state budget for capital expenses in Kannapolis. It’s working to attract Olympic teams and training centers of small sports.
Breeze Airways entering the CLT market?: (Wednesday 🔒) An astute reader pointed out that he’d seen a number of Breeze Airways airplanes at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in recent weeks. We talked to officials at the low-cost carrier about why the planes are flying in and out of Charlotte and the company’s plans to enter the Charlotte market.
Will it be a new football stadium? (Friday 🔒) An advisory zoning committee approved a plan by Charlotte Pipe and Foundry to rezone 55 acres along Morehead Street — land that is suspected of being a future stadium site. Committee members called the project “transformational,” although specifics are vague.
Light rail for Indian Trail? (Transit Time): Charlotte leaders say they want a regional approach to transit planning, but that also brings other voices into the mix and poses new challenges. Indian Trail, for instance, isn’t sure it wants a light rail stop in the town.
A thank you to our Premium members
The Ledger is able to deliver original, local information to you because of the support of our sponsors and paying members. We are grateful for them.
Producing high-quality local information costs money, and we can’t do it without the financial support of our members.
Today, we want to give special recognition to our Premium-level members. Premium memberships are for companies, groups and individuals willing to give more in exchange for a few extras — and also to lend support to the new model of independent local journalism that The Ledger represents.
They pay $379/year, which comes with newsletters for up to six email addresses, a monthly public thank-you (if desired) and an invitation to Ledger events.
A special thank you to:
AccruePartners
Ally Financial
ATCO Properties
Axios Charlotte
Carroll Financial
The Center for Intentional Leadership
Charlotte Center City Partners
Chernoff Newman
Corporate Information Technologies
Crescent Communities
Crown Castle
Drew Long Productions
Dyer & Co.
Eagle Commercial
Eric Moore, LLC
Foundation For The Carolinas
Greenway Wealth Advisors LLC
Interact Studio
Jessica Grier
JLL Capital Markets
Ann Doss Helms
John Miller Law Firm, PLLC
K&L Gates LLP
Kearns & Company
Levine Properties
McGuireWoods LLP
MVA Public Affairs
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Next Stage
Nichols Architecture, PA
NorthMarq
Northwood Office
OrthoCarolina
Positec Tool Group
The Providence Group
Queens University of Charlotte
Rachel Sutherland Communications
St. John’s Baptist Church
SignatureFD
Chris Skibinski
Social Pet Hotel and Daycare
SPARK Publications
Starrett Law Firm
Sycamore Financial Planning, LLC
TalentBridge Inc.
Tassel Capital Management Inc.
T.R. Lawing Realty Inc.
Tribek Properties
Trinity Partners
Worth Supply
Joan Zimmerman
For more information on paid memberships to The Ledger, including Premium memberships, check out this post.
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 3 of our local newsletters:
➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Got a news tip? Think we missed something? Drop us a line at editor@cltledger.com and let us know.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Sponsorship information: email brie@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project