A GIRL CAN DREAM
Young ballerina grows up to shine in Nutcracker
Alexandra Gibson is one of those lucky few for whom a sugar-coated childhood dream has become an adult reality.
When Gibson was nine years old she got a spot as one of the party kids to appear in Alberta Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. Naturally, like so many young ballerinas before and since, she couldn’t stop watching the older dancers, dreaming of a day ...
“I remember sitting backstage and watching the Sugar Plum Fairy go on for her variation, and there was a huge part of me that would have dreamed of doing that role, but never would have believed I could get that far. To be where I am now, I’m a little bit in disbelief sometimes.”
Flash forward a few years and hundreds of pairs of ballet slippers later.
As part of the company of Alberta Ballet, Gibson was recently rehearsing for her 11th year playing both the Sugar Plum Fairy and the central role of Clara, princess to be.
Clara is the child who is given a magical toy nutcracker as a Christmas gift by the mysterious toymaker, Uncle Drosselmeyer, in one of the ballet’s opening scenes.
Long after its premiere in 1892, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker has become a seasonal institution for Alberta Ballet and many other companies across North America. Between the regular dancers, members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra or Calgary Philharmonic, and a children’s cast of 60, around 120 people are involved in the show.
Then you have to add the backstage crew, the set and costume designers, and lighting techs who are always tweaking details to keep the show fresh and exciting.
Know that several dancers train for the parts of Clara and SPF each year, only to alternate through the busy season of shows in Edmonton, Calgary and (this year) Vancouver, providing each other with off nights and extra insurance in case of injury.
“It (Sugar Plum Fairy) is one of those iconic roles in ballet that people recognize, and when you’ve done it, you feel like you have reached some sort of goal as a ballerina.”
Gibson explains that the biggest challenge of playing the SPF is just waiting patiently, sitting through most of the ballet until you get to do your dance in the show’s penultimate scene.
The role of Clara involves a whole different set of demands.
“Clara is challenging for other reasons and it’s closest to my heart. She’s the thread that carries through the entire ballet, so it’s hugely demanding because the story kind of rests on your shoulders and your decisions on stage, because you barely leave the stage.”
Over a decade-plus, part of her challenge has been bringing something fresh to Clara.
“It’s interesting playing a nine or 10-year-old girl when you’re approaching 30, but I try and do something different with it each year. And it brings back the spirit of Christmas to me every time I jump into that costume. For me that’s when Nutcracker really begins.”
Seeing The Nutcracker from the audience at age six was actually the start of her dream to become a ballerina. At this point Gibson has performed nearly every female role in The Nutcracker.
“With Nutcracker — with so many shows over the month — it’s nice to have a few different roles to jump into because it helps to keep you fresh.”
For those who find it daunting to imagine a role in the performing arts try to consider shifting between two or three roles, but for this expert ballerina, it’s all about muscle memory.
“It is like a muscle. The more you use it the easier it is to pick things up quickly, but even after this many years, I still go over almost all my choreography before a show just to make sure you’re not going to blank out on stage.”
Gibson’s ballet experience is compounded by the fact she has an identical twin who is also part of Alberta Ballet and has also performed most of the same roles — her sister, Jennifer Gibson.
Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson were born in Toronto and moved to Calgary as children. They spent 12 years training with Alberta Ballet School before they were asked to join the company. Among her numerous principal roles Alexandra counts Sugar Plum Fairy as a favourite, along with the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, and Myrtha in Giselle.
Perhaps because they each have a resident doppelganger, the Gibson sisters are among the best known dancers in Alberta Ballet. But you have to wonder, with such parallel careers, has there ever been any sibling rivalry?
“It sounds like I’m lying, but no. We’ve grown up dancing The Nutcracker and similar roles at similar times, and I remember our first year dancing Sugar Plum Fairy, we were both hugely supportive of each other, helping and coaching each other, and I’m honestly not sure I would have made it without Jennifer’s help.
“Sometimes we have a friendly competition, but mostly we’re looking out for each other. We also have our birthday in the middle of The Nutcracker, so it’s a part of our lives more than any other production we do.”