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PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD ROSENBERG (WHEELDON); CHLOE HAMILTON (BUENO); COURTESY OF THE JOFFREY BALLET (COSTUME; COSTUME RENDERINGS) shares Wheeldon. "It's about an immigrant child whose mother—a sculptress— is a worker at the fair. It's much more about community, family. It's a little more socially aware, and so perhaps a little more relatable." No ballet connoisseur himself, Selznick threw himself deep into research for this project, reading everything he could on The Nutcracker, listening repeatedly to Tchaikovsky's great score, and watching seemingly countless productions of the ballet on YouTube. "I was very insecure for a very long time, because I'm not a dancer, I'm not a musician," shares Selznick. "But ultimately, I think that it's because I'm outside that world that it worked. This isn't just a gloss on the ballet, a matter of changing sets and costumes. The way the narrative ties into the creation of the White City gives the story more depth." "As choreographer and storyteller, Chris is one of the best," asserts Joffrey artistic director Ashley Wheater. "He is creating an odyssey for a young girl with limited means, but large dreams. It will have all the magic that people associate with The Nutcracker—the snow, the transformation of the Christmas tree—but at heart, it is the story of human possibilities, of building a family in a challenging world." December 10–30 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., 312-386-8905; jofffrey. org/nutcracker . CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Nutcracker choreographer Christopher Wheeldon supervises rehearsal with dancers April Daly and Fabrice Calmels; costume renderings; dancer Anais Bueno in costume fitting for the new Nutcracker with Joffrey Ballet artistic director Ashley Wheater; a Spanish costume for the new production. 68 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM SCENE HOT TEST TICKET