Krum: ‘Once I’m on stage, all my fear goes away’

Eastham's Sabine Krum shows off her attitude as she takes on the persona of Kitri from Don Quixote at the Cape Cod Theatre Company in Harwich.

DENNISPORT – Since the age of four Sabine Krum has used her body as her voice. She twirls, jumps, going en pointe, and contorts it in unnatural ways: “When I’m at ballet it’s simply just about ballet, I rarely am thinking about whatever happened earlier that day or what is to come later; I am just there to dance.” Dance she does.

The music swells—introduced by castanets—as the lights flash on. It’s Kitri’s variation from Act 1 of Don Quixote, based on episodes of the Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes, and its purpose is to energize the crowd. They’re captivated, instantly transported to Castilla-La Mancha, where the feisty Kitri has hatched a plan to marry Basillio, the charming barber who has won her heart instead of bending to her father’s will. Krum, 18, of Eastham, swishes onto stage in the traditional traje de flamenca before leaping in the audience’s direction with a grand jeté.

“Expressing myself and showing emotions on stage has always been the most challenging part,” she explains. The selection requires it—it’s a classical female bravura variation, which is showy and daring. The effortlessly commands attention. “Ms. Jackie (Underwood) has had to tell my countless times to be ‘sassy and fierce’ and how I have to ‘let go and unleash the power within’ and this happens to be the furthest thing from my comfort zone.

“But I like the challenge. As a quieter and more reserved person, ballet, being a performing art, is the perfect way for me to express myself because I can do it through movement and not through talking. Once I’m on stage, all my fear goes away.”

She kicks high, a grande battement, twirls and makes a gesture towards the crowd with a bow. Despite performing in her last show with the Cape Cod Ballet Theatre, where she has danced for the duration of her high school career, Krum is not going to stop expressing herself, no matter where her journey takes her. She’ll be headed to UMass Amherst this fall to pursue a degree in psychology.

“Whether that’s doing a class on my own, performing to an empty room or finding a dance studio, I want to continue doing ballet in whatever way possible,” she said. “It’s always been my safe space.”

Krum is one of four Nauset seniors on stage for the CCBT, sharing alongside Phebe Lowry (Dennis), Daisy O’Neil (Wellfleet) and Sarah Needel (Harwich). “I will never forget the feeling of dancing alongside some of my favorite people—nothing will ever compare to the shared laughter or feeling of accomplishment.”

While there is nothing at stake, no prize, no winner, there is exponential growth. Krum credits her involvement with her development as a dancer and a person. She helps with the Pre-Ballet and Ballet 1 classes – she’s dances at a Ballet 6 level – and it’s her way of giving back and trying to spread her passion to the next generation.

“As a kid I was terrified of going to ballet class,” Krum jokes, “it took my mom almost a year to even get me to walk into the building, but once I got in there, I never stopped. Now, I love being able to make connections with all the younger students, and be part of creating a comfortable space to make mistakes and learn the art form.”

Krum has become fearless as she strings together pirouette after pirouette in quick succession, ten to be exact. She dazzles with one last grand jeté. The lights cut after 50 seconds of movement. Applause.

“We practice all these dances for months and by the time we get to the stage it’s just muscle memory and I’m doing all the movements without a second thought,” she says. “I’ve found that if I think about it while dancing that’s when I mess up the most. I just have to trust what’s been practiced and hope it works out—that isn’t to say that I don’t get extremely nervous. Those moments of anticipation when you wait in the wings or on stage for the music to start is so nerve-racking, but once I get on stage it all goes away—for the most part, at least.”

Much like the character Kitri that she is portraying, who is the willful heroine of the ballet and doesn’t bend to the will of one path, Krum, likewise, pursues her own version of happiness on stage.

“No matter where life takes me,” she begins, “I will always remember all of the people I’ve encountered on this journey and how much they’ve taught me, and I will have all these memories, however big or small.”