The Nutcracker – A Tale from the Bayou
Dec. 14-15, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., at River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts
For tickets and more information, visit batonrougeballet.org
For Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s recently named co-artistic directors, Rebecca Acosta and Jonna Cox, the “Spanish Dance” in The Nutcracker – A Tale from the Bayou has special meaning.
The two performed it together multiple times as BRBT company members, bringing to life a piece beloved by local audiences for its melodious tempo, swishing scarlet-and-black tutus, and folding fans, which the ballerinas dramatically flick open throughout the dance. It’s one of The Nutcracker’s most popular divertissements, the lively, often nationalistic, numbers in the second act known as “The Land of the Sweets.” The duo has also performed other pieces together over the course of lengthy tenures with BRBT.
“We had great chemistry on stage,” recalls Acosta, 49. “There was always a healthy competition. We would push each other in a good way.”
Now, Acosta and Cox are pushing each other again as they take over the arts organization’s reins following the retirement of longtime leaders Molly Buchmann and Sharon Mathews in June.
Leading the organization, at least the performance side, is nothing new to Acosta and Cox. Following years of dancing with the company, the pair began teaching dance classes, and more recently, became co-associate artistic directors. Running the rehearsals for The Nutcracker and the organization’s other performances and national competitions has been a big part of their jobs. That continues while they also step into BRBT’s administrative leadership.
This time of year, they’re focused squarely on The Nutcracker – A Tale from the Bayou. Buchmann and Mathews created and choreographed the show, first staging it in Baton Rouge in 1992.
Bringing the well-known ballet to the Capital Region was an important move for BRBT. Prior to its arrival, fans had to travel to New Orleans or Houston to experience the tale, in which a young girl named Clara receives a wooden nutcracker from her mercurial Uncle Drosselmeyer. His gift triggers a dream sequence where the now-life-size nutcracker defeats threatening mice and ushers Clara to safety inside The Land of the Sweets.
Buchmann and Mathews famously added local elements that situate their version in Louisiana. Custom set pieces show Clara growing up on the bayou, and later feature a stately Louisiana mansion and the stained glass interior of the Old State Capitol.
As usual for the show, Acosta and Cox cast more than 100 dancers to perform this year. The youngest dancers fill roles like lambs and cherubs, while seasoned performers handle complex pieces that comprise the divertissement, including the “Spanish Dance.”
Acosta and Cox know what the dancing journey is like. Both began as young children.
Acosta—Mathews’ daughter—routinely accompanied her mother to the studio from a young age. And while she says she tried other pastimes growing up, she always returned to dance. She studied dance at New York City’s Joffrey Ballet School and with the Eglevsky Ballet in Long Island, New York. Currently, she’s also director of dance at Baton Rouge Magnet High School.
Cox, a Corpus Christi native, began ballet lessons at age 3.
“I was a ham as a kid, always dancing and walking around on my toes. My grandmother said, ‘We gotta get that girl in ballet,’” says Cox, 55. “So I started ballet and have done it my whole life.”
Cox graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in ballet, and danced professionally with the Dayton Ballet in Ohio. There, she says she met her husband, a Baton Rouge native, at a singles bible study.
The couple married and moved to the Capital City. A year after their daughter was born, Cox returned to dancing at BRBT. She started with adult classes to get back into shape, then quickly became an instructor and choreographer. The rest is history, she says.
“It’s just who I am,” Cox says. “It’s my heartbeat.”
Many spectators purchase the commemorative nutcracker sold annually in the lobby of the River Center Theatre. Each year brings a different style. The 2024 nutcracker is caped in a pale purple and gold costume, giving LSU vibes.
The inside of the hot air balloon basket, a key prop in Act Two, features the signatures of the ballerinas who have danced the role of Clara.
About 1,800 pounds of dry ice are used in dress rehearsals and performances to create the dreamy swamp fog for the production’s bayou scenes.
Each mouse costume has a different color badge so friends and family can identify performers. Their faces are hidden by enormous headpieces.
The show’s stunning sets were designed by LSU School of Theatre professor emeritus F. Nels Anderson, while many of its lavish costumes were made by Denham Springs resident and former ExxonMobil electrical engineer Polly Normand.
This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of 225 Magazine.
