The curtain opens, and a narrator sits and reads the poem in the foreground. On a dimly lit stage, a beautiful snowy night scene unfolds. Ballet dancers glide across the stage. Immediately, Trillium Dance Studio’s interpretation of Clement-Clarke Moore’s classic poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, captivates the audience.
The performance mixes ballet with tap, jazz, and contemporary. Trillium offers twelve ballet classes and four ballet, pointe, and contemporary combined classes. Jazz has six sections, and both modern and tap have three. There is also a junior ensemble and a Trillium dance ensemble.
“There are a lot of sports outside of school that we work really hard on that don’t get recognized because they’re not a school sport,” dancer and high school senior Hazel Hale said.
Dance performances are more than just a show of talent; they’re a place where the community gathers together to celebrate our dancers. It is an important part of many students’ lives. They take hours out of their week for practice and preparation, just like you would any other sport. The amount of concentration and skill required for dance is truly immeasurable.
A total of 42 dances leaves the performance running for about two hours total. This also includes a 15-minute intermission.
The scenes are split between two acts. Act one is a more literal interpretation of the poem. After the intermission, Act Two begins. It follows the storyline of several charact
ers and retells what really happened the night before Christmas. Ballerina Doll and her friends are shocked when the Pirate King steals the Christmas star with his crew. A back-and-forth battle ensues, ending in a surprising romance.
The core message of the poem and dance creates a light-hearted atmosphere that’s perfect for Christmas time.
This year, the dance took place on Saturday, November 21(11/21) in the evening and on Sunday for a day performance. “[The] Saturday show is definitely more stressful… but very exciting. And the Sunday show is a little more relaxed,” Hale said.
The preparation for the winter dance spans back to late September. The variety and complexity of the dances stretched over various age groups, which makes putting the performance together a difficult, but not impossible, task. Trillium teaches ages three to 18 in the youth classes. They also offer an adult class.
Along with all of the teachers, director, and owner, Erin McKeever invests immense amounts of effort and time to make the poem come to life through the art of dance.
During intermission, the lobby is a clutter of people and bouquets. After the performance is over, congratulations and pictures are in order. The skill of the dancers and the beautiful choreography make this event truly magical. If you get a chance to go next year, take it.
