Pelham's Brooklyn Stukel one of two Canadians playing Clara in US production
BY VOICE STAFF The VOICE
Local ballet dancer Brooklyn Stukel is showcasing her talents as Clara in this year’s Greater Niagara Ballet Company’s (GNBC) annual Nutcracker ballet.
“I was really happy and excited as I didn’t think I was going to get it,” said the 11-year-old.
Stukel was one of four performers who auditioned for the role in September.
This year, she shares the role with fellow dancer Kadence McLean of Niagara Falls.
Not only will Stukel be performing as Clara, but also as a sister and a mouse in two other performances.
Her dance company is a member of the GNBC, one of Western New York’s oldest ballet companies. It is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting ballet and providing Western New York and Niagara area audiences and dance students with opportunities to experience classical ballet at its highest level. There are some 80 performers of various ages from Western New York and the Niagara Region performing in the production.
This is the second year Stukel has performed in the annual Christmas-themed ballet. Last year, she performed in the classic Christmas story as a mouse, jester and a cousin in the first act. She did a father-daughter dance also.
As Clara in this year’s performance, Stukel said one of her favourite moments is a descriptive mime scene. She says because there are no verbal parts she has to describe through mime the battle scene between the soldiers, gingerbread men, Mouse King and the mice for the audience.
There are other roles in the performance that she has discovered and will be aspiring to achieve including the Waltz of the Flowers and the Sugar Plum Fairy, which is a lead role performed by a professional dancer.
Stukel was inspired to audition for the role by GNBC Artistic Director Beverley Feder.
Productions such as The Nutcracker aren’t new to Stukel as she was a hunter in Peter and the Wolf and performs in numerous ballet competitions throughout the year.
Stukel not only performs competitive ballet, but also jazz, tap, hip-hop, acro, contemporary and lyrical. She says her favourite form of dance is ballet, which she has been performing since she was two years old, followed by jazz.
Practicing for her role as Clara, Stukel travels to Niagara Falls, New York every Saturday and Sunday, learning the role step-by-step. She says she was “really excited” the first time she was able to practice with the nutcracker doll.
She enjoys the movement and techniques of ballet and is persistent on refining her form.
Over the course of her dedication to dance, Stukel says she has “done well.”
Stukel’s mother, Karen, says, “Her room keeps filing up with trophies and medals.”
She says she wants to carry on with her dance and is looking for a local high school that offers it in the curriculum and possibly carry though in post-secondary education.
Not only does Stukel perform, but also assists, helping instruct younger dancers, something she has done for the past five years. She says this helps her maintain proper ballet form and technique, which her mother noted “has significantly improved her skills, especially over the past year.”
“Even though Brooklyn still has a little while to figure out what she wants to do [with her dancing], it’s nice that she has been given these opportunities through the dance school,” said Karen. “She has brought up her ballet many levels by perseverance and taking the exams. I am very proud of her for wanting to learn and succeed.”
Stukel has always looked up to her dance teachers.
“If the teacher doesn’t believe in the student, [the student] can’t go anywhere,” said Karen. “Thankfully, the teachers put so much effort into their students, which has helped Brooklyn aspire and to believe she can be more.”
The theatre where Stukel will be performing can accommodate an audience of some 300. She admits she is shy, but once on stage, is fully engaged in her performance.
Even though her “life revolves around dance,” Stukel enjoys drawing, colouring and reading dance-related books. She is always practicing her technique at home.
She is also open to dabbling in other areas of the performing arts. Stukel will be an Oompa-Loompa in A.K. Wigg’s first theatre production in Spring 2019, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.
Stukel’s performances as Clara will be on Friday, December 7 at the 10:00 AM and 7:30 PM shows at the Niagara Falls High School, in Niagara Falls, New York.
