Brandon Alexander
Brandon performs the Spanish sequence from the Nutcracker with partner Tara Lally. When he was just 12, he won a full scholarship to Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy. Photo by Rochester City Ballet photographer Tim LeverettThe story of The Nutcracker may not include any ghosts of Christmas Past, but for Brandon, performing in this holiday classic surely conjures old spirits.
Rochester City Ballet, his artistic home since 2008, is the third company where Brandon has danced in The Nutcracker.
After graduating from the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy, Brandon joined the Houston Ballet II, where he first performed in The Nutcracker. His next performance came at the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.
And you already know No. 3.
It's one of the most beloved ballets in history, but for Brandon—as for many dancers—The Nutcracker is one chapter in a bigger story made of many moments. Some dreamed, some earned.
“I've been very lucky to have many proud moments, most of which I don't fully realize until after they've happened,” he says.
Most recently? Dancing his first lead role in a full-length ballet.
Brandon was chosen to play Dracula in the world premiere of The Blood Countess. This darkly erotic original tale by Rochester City Ballet artistic director Jamey Leverett debuted in Rochester last spring. The story imagines a fateful encounter between a notorious 16th century Hungarian countess and Dracula—before he was bitten.
Brandon
“I had to be able to tell the story of this guy and what happened to him at that time in his life,” Brandon says. “I had no other example to look at because I was the first one.”
This professional milestone wasn't without some anxiety. Even Dracula gets butterflies.
“I was definitely freaked out and stressed during the entire process,” he says. “The moment right before you go onstage can be one of the worst—but best—feelings. But it felt amazing to be able to develop a character and carry a story. I try to let my character speak for me.”
Brandon performs the Arabian sequence from The Nutcracker with partner Kaitlin Fitzgerald. While all ballet dancers strive for strength, every artist has natural limits. For Brandon, studying the performance videos of dancers helps—particularly those who have a build like his. He points to Italian dancer Massimo Murru, an etoile with La Scala Di Milano. Photo by Rochester City Ballet photographer Tim LeverettA new role stretches the artist. But rigorous rehearsals aren't always enough to build the physical strength he needs for ambitious choreography.
“I'm not a naturally flexible person,” Brandon says. “I do a lot of stretching. Need to keep at that. I've also done Pilates and Gyrotonics. Both helped me find new muscles and ways to use certain parts of my body."
In recent weeks, Brandon's workouts have been in preparation for The Nutcracker 2012. For all the companies where he's performed in this ballet, the Rochester production stands out for its active inclusion of young performers.
“The children have more involvement than in the other productions I've done,” he says. “It gives them the chance to perform in a big theater and wear a costume onstage for the first time.”
That experience can spark their interest in ballet.
“It could be that one special thing that makes them see that ballet can be a career, so they want to pursue it and keep the art going,” Brandon says.
For Christmases yet to come.
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Brandon is in the final days of rehearsal for The Nutcracker, which opens Friday, Nov. 25, at Eastman Theatre's Kodak Hall in Rochester. For details on showtimes and tickets, click here.
See more: www.rochestercityballet.com
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