New York native Serene Meshel-Dillman began her dancing career at the School of American Ballet. Growing up in the shadow of George Balanchine, Serene well knows the heartaches and challenges of “Getting to The Nutcracker.”
After studying at Melissa Hayden’s and the Alvin Ailey School, Serene’s formal dance training transitioned gracefully into the Main Street Dance Theater where she earned her degree at the University of Vermont.
A brief stint in the world of New York City advertising prompted a change in both her career and her location, as her love of the visual medium took her from the East Coast to the West. Her professional acumen combined with her artistic eye found her rising rapidly in the world of commercial production, but she never forgot her very first love of the ballet. And after 20 years of producing commercials and photographing people, crafting a documentary was a natural progression in her dynamic career trajectory.
Through the course of this transition, Serene found the process of both producing and directing a feature-length documentary a unique test of skills both organizational and artistic. Her unfailing capacity to “never take no for an answer” served her well. Ultimately, Serene loved the challenge, the people that she met and influenced and the reward of seeing the story brought to life. She is already working on her next film project and continues to dance as much as humanly possible.
Every Christmas season, The Nutcracker ballet is performed in cities all over the world. We love the timeless story, but what does it really take to produce this ballet each year? The documentary film Getting to The Nutcracker takes you inside the herculean effort involved in gathering the resources, assembling the volunteers, casting the dancers, rehearsing and staging the performances of this classic ballet.
Director Serene Meshel-Dillman, a former dancer at the School of American Ballet and commercial television producer, shows you an intimate, behind-the-curtain view of the dancers, their teachers and families. Los Angeles-based Marat Daukayev School of Ballet, led by the former Kirov star, allowed us to record everything: the auditions, the rigorous hours of training and rehearsals, the joy of landing a principal role and the pain of losing one. The ballet dancers (boys and girls ages 3–18) are profiled—passionate people who, with their families, make incredible sacrifices of time and money just so that they may dance. Best of all, you get to know these dancers. You hear about their dreams and share their triumphs and countless unexpected turns. You see it all, from talented teen artists with a future in dance to the younger, sweet children excitedly taking their turns on the stage.
Welcome to the Scientology Network Documentary Showcase
Fundamental to Scientology is a humanitarian mission of extraordinary scope, now extending to some 200 nations. Included therein are programs for human rights, human decency, literacy, morality, drug prevention and disaster relief.
For this reason, the Scientology Network provides a platform for Independent filmmakers who embrace a vision of building a better world.
