NYCB Vol. 13 No. 11 & 12 - Nutcracker

[11/52] Counting down 52 NYCB Nutcrackers this year with stories from NYCB dancers past and present! Today we hear from Suzy Pilarre, a former soloist who was in the company from 1963-1979:

"My relationship with the Nutcracker started when I was eight years old in Cedarhurst, Long Island, when Jacques d’Amboise and Melissa Hayden did a demonstration of the pas de deux in my town to promote a school Melissa was opening there. I don’t think I’d ever seen ballet that looked like that and I immediately begged my parents to enroll me. After two years, the school closed, but Melissa brought me to SAB and that year was my first Nutcracker. We auditioned in a big room on the 6th floor of New York City Center for Una Kai and Vida Brown, the children’s directors. 

“I was in the party scene and a Polichinelle—third girl out of the skirt. It was so exciting to be backstage with all the company members in such close proximity .The company was small and they really got to know us kids. My mother and I stayed over at the Park Sheraton Hotel because of matinee and evenings on the weekend and we couldn’t go back and forth to Long Island. It was like being on tour!! 

(left) Photo by Martha Swope

(center and right) Photos by Fred Fehl

"We did the Playhouse 90 CBS filming when Mr. B did Drosselmeyer! After that I did Hoops and Angels. (In those years, there were teenage angels who carried in the table for Marie and the Prince.) The first time I didn’t know the utensils weren’t attached and somehow tipped the table with my partner angel and everything fell on the floor. It was hard to bend over and pick them up with the hoop skirts!

(right) Photo by Fred Fehl

“The year after that, I joined the company. I did Spanish, Snow and Grandma. I remember Mr. B telling Una Kai, ‘Tell the grandmother to calm down she’s too lively!’ I was 15 at the time and thought I was acting very old! We were still at City Center and the company was still small so we did every show. 

“Moving to Lincoln Center in 1964 was thrilling! New sets, bigger tree, more snow. I did many different parts over the years. I watched many performances after I retired. I would go see my former students dance it (and I still do) and both my daughters danced in it as well, so my connection to this beautiful production has been on going from 1958 to this day. [66 years!]

“I went on to dance many parts in the second act but there’s one lead Marzipan story that’s probably the funniest. The Marzipan costume, exquisitely  designed by Madame Karinska, has a hoop tutu resembling a circular shelf adorned with satin marzipan sweets which make a little circular fence like border around it. When we Shepherdess girls would come downstairs to the stage before second act we would grab a flute off the prop table and frequently put it in the skirt while we adjusted our shoes and hats.

"On one occasion I had forgotten I’d put my flute in the tutu and before running out for the dance, grabbed another. Imagine my dismay when on the first pique I realized I had one in my hand and one in my skirt !😱 That whole performance became about not jumping too high on the gargouillade, or being too bouncy on the toe hops or not spotting and turning too fast. Any false move would have sent the flute in the skirt flying out to the floor! I managed to keep it at bay at the expense of the choreography and a good performance! haha”