Richmond Ballet company dancer Valerie Tellmann-Henning steps into her new Snow Queen tutu as costume designer David Heuvel works to fit the costume while visiting Richmond (photo by Kate Crowder).
The “Waltz of the Flowers” will be more vibrant and the Snow King and Queen will sparkle a bit more in this year’s Richmond Ballet production of The Nutcracker, thanks to rebuilt costumes for those scenes.
The Richmond Ballet's new swan sleigh was built by Adirondack Studios in upstate New York.
There’s also new scenery by Charles Caldwell (the production's original scenery designer) of Montgomery, Alabama, updated costumes for the 12 angels — twice as many as before — and new choreography at the opening of Act II, and a new Swan Sleigh to take Clara and the Nutcracker Prince to the Kingdom of the Sweets in a scene with twinkling stars and a castle in the clouds. Also new this year are four Sugar Plum Fairy attendants, in costumes designed by David Heuvel, of Ballet West in Salt Lake City, who created the production's original costumes.
Grants from The Cabell Foundation and The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation made the updates possible, says ballet spokeswoman Kate Crowder. Dec. 11 to 23 at the Carpenter Theatre. $20 to $125. 344-0906 or richmondballet.com.
