Boston Ballet
I created models as part of an annual collaboration with the Boston Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker. Each year I unveiled a new piece to expand the display.
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker was the first model I designed and made for the show. They provided me with a picture of the nutcracker prop that is used in the performance each year. This build needed to be sturdy enough to be transported to the Citizen’s Bank Opera House every year to be on display for the run of the show.
Design Process
I used the program LEGO Digital Designer to aid with the design of this model. Using the digital model as a guide, we were able to plan for an interior reinforcing structure made from PVC. The model was constructed around the frame and fused together layer by layer. The base is weighted for additional stability.
Each year when we traveled to the Opera House, I would wrap a coat around the model to make it more comfortable to carry. We would also have the model on display at the Attraction for the holiday season before and after its appearance at the Opera House.
Christmas Tree
One Saturday during each season’s production, I would start a live build before the show and continue working on it through the first act so guests could see the completed project during intermission. This was the second build I did for the show, and it is based on the Christmas Tree that grows while Claire is asleep, which starts off her fantastical adventure.
See a time-lapse video of the mosaic’s construction while guests help with building ornaments and presents to decorate the tree:
https://www.facebook.com/8634877606/videos/10155318797817607
Sugar Plum Fairy
The ballerina build was the third model I designed. The challenge with this model was to design it in parts so that I could assemble it as a live build. I built and glued together the shoes, skirt, arms, head, and wings. Working from a digital design, I built the legs, attached the skirt, and built the torso on site. I added the arms, wings, and head during the first half of the show so that I would have a finished product for people to see at intermission.
