TEXARKANA, Texas - The Texarkana Community Ballet announced this year's performances of "The Nutcracker" are canceled.
"Nutcracker" performances with community members dancing on the Perot Theatre stage have been an annual holiday favorite for many years in Texarkana. But the ongoing pandemic put the kibosh on this year's plans.
It's terrible but unavoidable, said TCB Board President Patti Thomas in an interview.
"It's just something that we cannot help. You cannot risk a child getting sick or their entire family getting sick because we wanted to have a 'Nutcracker,'" Thomas said.
The Texarkana Community Ballet announced the decision on its Facebook page, stating, "As Texarkana Community Ballet continues to prioritize the health and well-being of its dancers, teachers, patrons, and the community, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Nutcracker Ballet."
Said the TCB, "While we are deeply saddened that the company's artistry will not be seen on the stage this Christmas season, the current problems and regulations associated with Covid-19 have left us with no other choice."
The large cast can't rehearse in a traditional manner or even audition as they typically do because of Texas health guidelines and recommendations, the TCB explained.
"Thank you for your patience and understanding as we monitor the area's ever-changing health issues. We are grateful for your dedication to Texarkana Community Ballet and to our incredible dancers, our beautiful repertory, and our commitment to dance education," the TCB said. "We look forward to the time when we can return to the stage and share the beauty and joy of classical ballet with you."
Thomas said that first and foremost this decision came down to the safety of their dancers. "We've got to keep these kids safe," she said.
Thomas said people may think they could have done a "lesser performance." But that's not what the TCB is about. Typically, productions involve a couple hundred people.
"We've always done a grand performance, and we don't want to lessen it. We don't want it to be anything that's smaller or less," Thomas said, noting, "We want it to be as grand as ever."
Social distancing and the mask situation on stage and in the dressing rooms would have been tough with children, Thomas said. "I don't see how we could do that," she said.
Auditions themselves call for 100 kids in each section, too. There's no way they could do it, the TCB board president said.
Another factor, although not a deciding one for them, she explained, would be social distancing for the audience, which would mean a smaller audience. She doesn't believe they'd break even. However, that didn't factor into the final decision, she said.
"When we sat down to talk about this, it was all about our kids and our performance," Thomas said.
They'd feel terrible if dancers were affected or took it home, she said. Eight-year-old dancers through adults participate in "The Nutcracker."
Prior to 1987, she said, the TCB had a production every other year. But since then it's been an annual production, often with "The Nutcracker" as the show, although other ballets have been performed by this group project involving several dance studios.
They will miss it this year. It's a production where local studios are united as one. It's also a large part of the winter holiday and Christmas celebration in Texarkana.
"As teachers, we love it and we're kind of lost because this is when we're getting our schedules together and the choreography together and ordering costumes. We're kind of lost, we're really missing it and missing the time we all got together planning things," Thomas said.
Despite this, they're looking forward to being back together when it's feasible.
"We're very hopeful that the current situation will improve and we can move forward and prepare for next year," Thomas said.
(For more information, visit facebook.com/TCBDANCE.)