HOUSTON — The creator of ‘Houston’s Urban Nutcracker’ production has had a lifelong love of dance.
“I've always loved dance. I was a very shy child growing up. I still am, I think a little bit of an introvert,” Traci Greene told KHOU 11 in an interview. “But for some reason, when I get on stage, I don't know. Everything just went away. All of my insecurities went away.”
Greene began dancing at the age of 6 growing up in Chicago. It was there where she auditioned for a production of ‘The Nutcracker.’
“I remember the choreographers like being elated, ‘Wow, look at her, she's really great,’” Greene recalled. “But I also remember being maybe one of two African Americans there, and I did not get the part.”
Greene went on to have a successful career, traveling the world and dancing in major productions. But the experience of auditioning for ‘The Nutcracker’ at a young age stuck with her and partly motivated her efforts to begin an initiative to help underrepresented dancers.
“In some small way I held it inside of me and it kind of pushed me and motivated me to be a part of things that where I can see representation and I can be inspired and motivated by it,” Greene said.
Greene’s path led her to Houston where she continued to pass down her knowledge to the next generation of talent. Greene understood the obstacles to resources her young dancers faced in order to have opportunities to compete for and attain positions at elite institutions.
“So I said, well, you know, I'll start a nonprofit organization and see if we can find a way to fund these opportunities for them,” Greene said.
That organization is now known as Culture Arts Initiative and in 2018, Greene established the first production of ‘Houston’s Urban Nutcracker,’ which raises funds for scholarships for dancers, the largest such effort for the organization.
To date, the organization has awarded some $90,000 in scholarships to underserved and underrepresented dancers in the Houston area.
That stems from a production that looks, sounds and feels like Houston, Greene said.
“It's the traditional story of The Nutcracker,” Greene said. “And Claire will take us through a journey throughout the neighborhoods of Houston. […] You’ll see ballet, you'll see jazz, you'll see tap [dance], you'll see hip hop, you'll see contemporary dance.”
The production starts in July with auditions, then 13 weeks of rehearsals starting in September with nearly 200 total cast members. It all culminates in the performances in mid-December, which is an emotional crescendo for Greene whose life’s mission is embodied in the on-stage spectacle.
“To see it come to life was I don't know, I started tearing up. It was it was so beautiful to see and it was so beautiful to see the reaction from the audience that we had. Everybody was so happy,” Greene said. “Each year, no matter how many times we do it each year, I'm always just elated to see how it just comes to life, because it comes to life differently each year.”
‘Houston’s Urban Nutcracker’ has performances from Dec. 15 through Dec. 17.
More information can be found online at https://www.houstonurbannutcracker.org/.