Interview: Ballerina Kellen Hornbuckle Gives Us A Sneak Peek at THE NUTCRACKER at Houston Ballet

Next weekend, Houston Ballet's season is putting on one of the most celebrated traditions of the holidays: THE NUTCRACKER. Houston Ballet has been performing different versions of this magical story for over 35 years, and knowing the talent of the company as well as the technical spectacle that the program typically presents, I have no doubt that Houston Ballet's 2022 THE NUTCRACKER will be a stunning production.

Based on the classic tale, THE NUTCRACKER tells the tale of a girl named Clara befriending a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve. She then goes on an adventure with characters from another world! As stated on the Houston Ballet website, "From snowflakes to sword fights to the Christmas tree that reaches the sky, The Nutcracker truly is the perfect holiday experience for the whole family. Be there as Clara and Drosselmeyer make their journey to the Kingdom of Sweets and meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince in the land where the real magic happens."

With the grand set, the stunning costumes, the iconic score, and the hundreds of roles that the talented dancers bring to life, I am very excited to see this production myself in early December. As a sneak peek at this year's THE NUTCRACKER, it was my joy to speak with Kellen Hornbuckle, one of the company's professional ballerinas. Through my conversation with her, we discussed what a typical Houston Ballet dancer's rehearsal schedule is like, what we can look forward to in this year's THE NUTCRACKER, and more!

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To start us off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What is your history with dance and the Houston Ballet?

I was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and then I came to Houston Ballet. I started dancing when I was three, and I came to Houston Ballet in 2012 for a summer intensive. I did that for six years in a row and then after that, I came into the Academy, moving in 2016. I did a year of that, and then worked through the performer ranks within the company. Most recently, I have been promoted to Demi soloist!

How big is the cast for this production, and what is your role in this year's THE NUTCRACKER?

There are about a little under 60 of us in the company, and almost all of us are on for every show in some fashion. Additionally, our Academy of younger dancers is involved, and for the Academy, we have about 230 kids being a part of our production. It is very typical for a dancer to have multiple roles a night. I am doing "Clara", "Chinese", "Flurries",
"Grandmother", "Flower", and "Spanish".

How many different casts of dancers are there?

There are around six or seven casts of "Chinese" and maybe 10 casts of "Clara". Every dancer has different tracks/characters that they play at varying performances. You could come each night and see different performances since every dancer dances differently!

What does a typical day of rehearsal look like for you during THE NUTCRACKER season?

For "The Nutcracker" season, we normally have class in the morning like usual, and if we're not rehearsing on stage right after that, we'll have six hours of THE NUTCRACKER rehearsal. We'll typically do two full run-throughs with different groups of dancers. If we're in the theater, we'll have class before rehearsal and then rehearsal on stage in the theater with costumes and/or lighting. If we're in the theater, we typically have a later class that starts around 11 or 12, and we finish at 10:30 at night with a lunch break in between. Our normal day of rehearsal is from 10:00 AM to 6:45 or 6:30 pm.

How many years has the Houston Ballet performed THE NUTCRACKER, and are there any traditions within the production that we should watch out for?

For the current THE NUTCRACKER, we have performed it for seven years. Prior to the current version, we performed the Stevenson style of the show for around 28 years, and I know that we performed a version of the story before that, too.

There is a tradition that we have done on Christmas Eve where someone will dress up as Santa and walk across the stage during the party scene. He just sneaks on and off stage, and people like to see if they can spot him!

What makes Houston Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER unique compared to other renditions?

I think one of the most the most unique aspects of it is just the visuals as an audience. Everything is so very grand, colorful, and powerful; it seems like the visuals are in the eyes of a child.

Is the storyline different than the traditional THE NUTCRACKER?

It's pretty traditional. I mean, most companies have little differences, but it still has Fritz, Clara, the Rat King, the Nutcracker...but there are some differences. You will just have to come to see them!

What is your favorite part to perform and/or see in the production?

I like "Chinese" a lot, and "Claire" should be a lot of fun! This will be my first year doing both of those. In the past, I have also had a lot of fun playing "Spanish" and being in the "Flower Chorus".

Are there any technical spectacles or design elements in this production that we can look forward to?

There are a lot of projections in different parts of the story, within both acts. For example, there is a tree growing at the end of the battle scene!

Specifically when it comes to costumes, what is your favorite one to see?

I don't know if I could pick out a specific one, but I think the characters called "Ambassadors" in act two are very cool! They are all different animals, and they're very elaborate large, costumes.

Is there anything else you would like to share about Houston Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER this year?

If you go multiple times, you'll catch something new every time, so feel free to come on out for the show more than once! I especially enjoy the moment when the majority of the cast is onstage; it is really great.

To finish us off here, when and where can we see Houston Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER?

THE NUTCRACKER is from the 25th of November through the 27th of December, and you can see it at the Wortham Theater in downtown Houston.

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Do not miss out on this truly magical event of the season! Visit houstonballet.org for tickets and more information; tickets start at just $30.

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