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Inspired by the arts, inspiring others: A portrait of Jean Sands
Feb 06, 2014
by J Timothy Quirk
As part of our Project45 celebration of the 45th year of The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, we are sharing with our readers a series of profiles of the people who have helped build our community.
On a cold December day, a 4-year-old girl walked with her mother into Howland’s Department store in Bridgeport, Connecticut. There, within the book department, she held in her hands a small treasure, for the author Marcella Harrington had wished her a Merry Christmas with an inscription and signature on her very own copy of the book STUBBORN.
Warmed by the book in her hands as she sat on the intercity bus back to Newtown where they lived, the young girl knew that she too would one day become a writer. After many years of raising her family and writing for her own pleasure, she grew into the poet, journalist and writing teacher known throughout Connecticut as Jean Sands.
Jean began the legacy of sharing the tales of the world of ballet and its people on the stages and studios of The Nutmeg Ballet in newspaper articles and later in a column in Torrington.
Jean wrote for the Register Citizen and the Republican American. As a freelance journalist, she wrote articles for the Hartford Courant, the Litchfield County Times, the Newtown Bee as well as many others. As a local theater critic for the Register Citizen, she would eagerly cover The Nutmeg Ballet’s productions.
One fateful day, she sat down with Sharon Dante, the Nutmeg’s Founder and Executive Director, who found that the pairing of Jean’s personal writing style, journalistic acumen, and passion for the world of ballet created a synergy that is unparalleled and the column “Nutmeg Nuggets” was born.
For Jean, the column’s purpose was to communicate that the world of ballet was not simply an interest of the “elite,” but that it is a powerful, beautiful art form for everyone.
Jean, who had grown up in a family could not afford to see live ballet, recalls the day she walked down Main Street in Torrington and noticed a poster displayed in a store window promoting the event “The Nutmeg Ballet Presents Repertoire.”
She was struck by the beauty of the lovely dancers posing in French berets and it fueled her imagination. Jean felt compelled to enter the store to inquire about obtaining a copy. The store owner said, “Here you go.” She had the poster framed and it still hangs in a place of prominence; it is the first picture she sees every day and the last one she sees at night.
With Jean’s words in the “Nutmeg Nuggets” column, the world of ballet has been opened up to the Torrington community and beyond the way the Repertoire poster had inspired her.
Throughout her writing career, Jean has been as generous with her knowledge as she has been with her time she gives to her family, friends and the arts and culture community. Jean taught creative writing in a workshop for nine years in Washington Depot; her workshop was called “Writers Work Workshops.” Jean even provided in-home tutorials for some students, many of whom went on to become published writers in their own right, and ran the workshop in other venues, including the Litchfield Community Center.
Jean is a distinguished poet; her book, Gandy Dancing, is her first poetry collection (available on amazon.com and at the Dance Shop at The Nutmeg) and she is currently working on a second collection.
Samples of her poetry and her prose can be found on www.jeansands.com. Jean’s work is deeply personal and moving and it is that talent and skill that she brought to her well-received column about the world of ballet in Torrington.
The Nutmeg is a family and a community that is related through a shared sense of purpose and each person holds a deep connection to it and to each other. Jean recalls when that moment of connection happened for her. A few days before a “Nutcracker” opening performance, she was given access to go upstairs to their facility at 21 Water Street. As she watched the rehearsals, she was taken by the athleticism and the beauty, the costumes, and the professionalism of the dancers.
In Jean’s words, she “was hooked.” She loved visiting the costume shop at the Conservatory on Main Street and receiving tours of the building and then having the chance to write about it.
Jean Sands loves The Nutmeg and loves what Sharon Dante has done for Torrington. She remembers when Torrington was going through hard times. She believes the city of Torrington should throw a big party in honor of the Nutmeg for its 45th birthday. The Nutmeg is, after all, the only art venue that has been in Torrington continuously for 45 years.
Upon being asked why she thought The Nutmeg Ballet has continued to thrive these 45 years, she felt it was due to “the dedication of decent people who love what they do and who pitch in to see it succeed. It is that dedication that has put The Nutmeg, and Torrington on the world map. Students come from across the US, Canada and Europe to study at Nutmeg Ballet. And when you buy a ticket to a Nutmeg Ballet show, you are not attending a dance school recital. Nutmeg’s shows are always professional.”
She says that The Nutmeg family has been “absolutely lovely” to her and that she misses them as much as they miss her. But severe arthritis has forced her to cut back on activities including writing her “Nutmeg Nuggets” column.
That feeling is best expressed by Sharon Dante. “Always inspired by the arts, Jean’s writing is energetic, correct in details and exceptionally intuitive. That is why I loved the work we did together. Thank you Jean for being YOU,” she said.
The Register Citizen misses having Jean Sands’ column within their pages.
As community editor Emily M. Olson shared, “Each one of her columns reflects her dedication to the arts community in Torrington and in Litchfield County. She has so much respect for the dancers and their teachers and the founders of the ballet company. Jean is a dear friend, and she’s also a talented artist of the mind who’s always willing to talk over an idea or a project. I’m inspired by her tenacity and her spirit and I am proud to call her my friend.”
In this anniversary year, it is fitting that Jean Sands be acknowledged for her important contribution to the 45 year history of the professional training organization on Torrington’s Main Street.
Many years ago, inspired by her own curiosity and journalistic instincts, Jean began the tradition of documenting the insights and intriguing stories of this world renowned institution.
Today, that tradition is carried on with much admiration and gratitude for this superb poet, journalist, and friend of The Nutmeg.
J. Timothy Quirk is Artist in Residence at The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, Torrington.
In this anniversary year, it is fitting that Jean Sands be acknowledged for her important contribution to the 45 year history of the professional training organization on Torrington’s Main Street.
Many years ago, inspired by her own curiosity and journalistic instincts, Jean began the tradition of documenting the insights and intriguing stories of this world renowned institution.
Today, that tradition is carried on with much admiration and gratitude for this superb poet, journalist, and friend of The Nutmeg.
IN THE MEDIA
After 50 years of building a reputation for professionalism in dance instruction, Nutmeg Ballet was forced to put that reputation to the test this year. Audition tour director Joan Kunsch injured her arm and was unable to go on her annual 18-city nationwide recruiting tour. But, “Nothing will be canceled,” she promised in early December. “It was up to me to solve it,” said Kunsch. “I thought, ‘Who better to represent Nutmeg than the former students who are making professional company careers around the country?’” She compiled a list of about a dozen Nutmeg alumni around the country and called them. They eagerly accepted the challenge. For example, Kunsch said, “We have a Nutmeg graduate, Amy Potter, who is a principal dancer in the Oklahoma City Ballet, and I called her and she’s ecstatic to do it. She said, ‘Proudly, I would do it. Proudly.’” Another former student, Thel Moore, trained at Nutmeg from 2012 to 2015. He agreed to cover three of Kunsch’s scheduled cities, including Richmond, Va., where he is a danseur at the Richmond Ballet Company. Moore said in an email, “What I typically look for in an audition is a base in classical ballet but also a love for ballet as well. I’m looking for a spark that you usually can’t teach but mold into something beautiful.” He said students are nervous at first, but “when they see the brochure [and] how beautiful the building is and how incredibly professional the staff is, they usually lighten up and get really excited for the audition.” The far-flung team of Nutmeg-trained dancers are directing auditions in January and February in nearly 40 cities in the United States and Canada. Some of these cities are on Tim Melady’s usual itinerary as audition tour co-director. Melady, Nutmeg’s principal ballet master, is also standing in for Kunsch in several cities. Speaking by phone from an airport near St. Louis, Mo., Melady said, “I have been to the West Coast. Seattle had a good turnout. Portland had a good turnout. San Francisco had a good turnout, and they are all so interested in Nutmeg and Torrington!” He said, “We’re so lucky that we have such a respected reputation.” When an auditioning dancer asks about Nutmeg, he refers them to former Nutmeg students in the area, who are happy to talk about their experiences. Melady said the constant influx of students from thousands of miles away is enriching for them, for Nutmeg and for Torrington. “People come to Nutmeg and say, ‘Oh my God, we’re meeting people from Wyoming! From California! This is crazy.’ Everybody knows about Nutmeg Ballet. It’s wonderful!” Kunsch said that when she has gone on the audition tour – which she has done every year since 1993 – she tells dancers, “Not only are you auditioning for Nutmeg; Nutmeg’s auditioning for you.” She tells them, “We’re not looking for perfection. If you were perfect, would you need us? We’re looking for trainability.” Moore said, “Bringing talent from all over is very important because it keeps Nutmeg as one of the best schools to train at in the United States.” Melady said, “[The auditioners] have heard of us, and they’ve heard of our reputation. And that’s a real advantage. Our reputation is golden. There are more and more schools just vying for this slice of talent. And there is always talent.” Victoria Mazzarelli, artistic director, said Torrington auditions at the Nutmeg Conservatory attract not only local aspirants but dancers from New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for both the summer and year-round programs. Remaining auditions at the Conservatory at 58 Main Street are Feb. 1, 15, 29 and March 7, from 9 a.m. to noon. And by the way, said Mazzarelli, locals are most welcome! “During these next few months, our year-round students and faculty are rehearsing and preparing for our Spring Studio Series that will be held on March 18, 19, 20 and 21,” she said.
TORRINGTON – The first time Shelley Gallo and her mother, Rosemarie Meyer, attended Nutmeg Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” in 1975, they thought it was a musical play. Shelley was four years old. “When are they going to start talking?” she asked her mother. They had never been to a ballet before! But, since that night 44 years ago at Torrington High School’s Little Theatre, they have attended Nutmeg’s “Nutcracker” almost every year, missing it only once due to illness. “I’ll bet we hold the record,” Shelley said. Nutmeg’s “Nutcracker” has since outgrown the high school auditorium, of course, and now is performed yearly at the 1,750-seat Warner Theatre and the 900-seat Belding Theatre at The Bushnell in Hartford. It opens Dec. 7 at the Warner. “I remember going that first time with my mother,” Shelley said, “but I don’t really remember how I felt when I left. I do remember all the pretty ballerinas and the pretty costumes, but I can’t say I ran out of there saying I want to be a ballerina.” Rosemarie said she had taken Shelley to Christmas Village and was looking for something new to share with her. She saw an advertisement for “The Nutcracker” in what was then The Torrington Register. “I thought that was something that I’d like to start with her as a tradition,” she said. “We realized at some point in the performance that it was not going to be a play,” she said. “There was not going to be singing, or any kind of dialogue, but we just watched it in awe because the dancers were so talented and the costumes were so beautiful and the scenery was beautiful. And as the years have gone by, it’s gotten better and better.” Costumes and scenery have evolved, and this year the mother-daughter duo are looking forward to revolutionary changes. To mark Nutmeg’s 50th anniversary, hundreds of the 1,200 costumes will be new, designed by Janessa Urwin and Susan Aziz and hand-finished at Nutmeg’s own costume shop. And the 22-year-old set by Campbell Baird will be replaced by spectacular scenery by Boston’s theatrical designer Roger LaVoie. Artistic director Victoria Mazzarelli has reimagined the choreography, and Brian Sciarra has designed new lighting. There will be some delightful surprises. “There have been little tweaks every year,” Shelley said. “Maybe the lighting is a little different, or the choreography is different, or maybe there’s a sash on a costume that’s a different color. My mother and I would bump elbows and whisper, ‘Did you see that?’ This is the first year that we can’t compare our notes.” When they heard that things would look very different this year, Shelley said she and her mom were at first nervous. “But I’m sure it will be beautiful.” Rosemarie said, “I can’t wait to see this year’s new scenery and costumes. We’re both really excited about it.” Rosemarie and Shelley both love family traditions, especially around Christmastime. Since Shelley was a child, she helped her mother every year bake cookies. Now, though she lives in New Hartford and her mom lives in Torrington, Shelley says she still bakes more than 1,000 cookies every Christmas and gives them to co-workers, family and friends. “The Nutcracker” is perfect for tradition-minded people, she believes. “I love the story because it’s the whole Christmas Eve party, and I come from an Italian family,” she said. “Christmas Eve is the biggest celebration in my family. It’s such a magical time, even for me now. I carry on the cookie-baking traditions my mother and my two Italian grandmothers carried throughout the years.” Nutmeg’s new 2019 “Nutcracker” ushers in a brand-new tradition as Nutmeg Ballet enters its second half-century. Tickets can be ordered through Nutmeg’s website – also reimagined and redesigned for the occasion – at www.nutmegconservatory.org. Warner Theatre performances are Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. Performances at The Bushnell in Hartford are Dec. 14 and 15 at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
