Having recently completed the Greenville Ballet‘s “Nutcracker” season, it came to my attention that some fellow graduates of Canada’s National Ballet School have recently created a short cartoon drama for CBC television called The Curse of Clara. It is a charming little vignette suitable for all ages that perhaps you would like to share with your children. All little girls aspiring to be Clara would enjoy it. It recently aired on CBC television, but is available to view in the U.S. on Vimeo (see link below). It shows the buildings and studios of the School where I spend my 11th and 12th grade years and the stage, auditorium, and exterior of the O’Keefe Centre theater (now Sony Centre) where I performed with Rudolph Nureyev as an extra in several ballets, saw Baryshnikov dance for the first time (the night he defected), and later performed as a soloist with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens. It includes the voices of former ballerina and current director of Canada’s National Ballet company Karen Kain, as well as former hockey star Phil Esposito who played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series around the time this story took place.
In this delightfully heart
warming holiday tale, Vickie, a small-town girl, is accepted into the prestigious National Ballet School in Toronto, and lands the coveted role of Clara in the Company’s annual production of The Nutcracker. Things look like they couldn’t get any better, and they can’t, because that’s when Vickie finds out about the mysterious “Curse of Clara.” Thankfully, she has a good friend and imaginary mentor Phil Esposito to keep her “on pointe.” It was co-produced by renowned ballerina and filmmaker Veronica Tennant (guest speaker at my high school graduation), and co-written by Vickie Fagan, a fellow student of mine at the School.
The Nutcracker, with a little hockey mixed in . . . what more could you ask for?
Don’t miss The Curse of Clara: A Holiday Tale
Watch it on your Smart TV or computer today:
https://vimeo.com/smileyguystudios/clara
Password: clara
Enjoy!