By: Jessie Sha

Choreographer George Balanchine created the modern Nutcracker ballet in 1954. Although the dance was born from a long dead choreographer, what made this year’s version eye-catching about isn’t the dance itself, it’s the people who perform it: the kids from the School of American Ballet. Their production was a great hit in New York this past December.

Rehearsals started when COVID was still in full swing, so people could be taken out of the dance anytime. When the curtain rose on the first performance, 85% of the cast were new to this dance and many had been out of practice. Even the lead roles were new and had to learn everything from scratch. Normally, only a few dancers are new, but everyone pulled it off and made a great show.

The performance allowed young children, around the age of 8-12, to see what it was like to be onstage, choreograph, and rehearse. One of the leads, Marie, played by a young girl named Zofia, carried the show. Even though Zofia had such a big role, and all the pressure, she still loved it. The other lead playing Marie, is Caroline O’Hagan, who is the complete opposite of Zofia. While Zoifa, is dramatic, Caroline is dreamy. It was said that she first saw the play when she was 2 ½ and would pretend to be Marie. Both Marie’s played the role well, and carried the show. These young dancers were prepared everyday, and made the show amazing for everyone.