Correction appended.
Angels leaped, the Sugar Plum Fairy twirled and a mouse fought a wooden toy as BalletMet took on a classic Christmas ballet at the Ohio Theatre: “The Nutcracker.”
The show runs at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E State St, from Dec. 8 to Dec. 24, and many families have already flocked to see the performances.
The ballet tells the story of a young girl named Clara who receives a wooden nutcracker from her godfather the night before Christmas. The girl then takes off on an incredible adventure in her dreams with the Nutcracker and meets all sorts of people in an enchanted land.
Mallory Sweeney, a trainee dancer cast as a snowflake, flower and party parent, said this was her second year in “The Nutcracker” with BalletMet, and it was a lot easier for her to remember the steps and help others around her in rehearsal.
She said her favorite part of the production so far has been opening night because those performances were usually reserved for women dancing with BalletMet’s company so she said being able to be with the dancers and participate in that was a cool experience.
Sweeney said “The Nutcracker” holds a very special place in her heart as she has been performing in some variations of the show since a young age.
“It's such a special thing to any young dancer because it's one of those ballets that you can usually mention and someone’s like ‘Oh yeah I know ‘The Nutcracker’,’” she said.
As she has grown older, Sweeney said this timeless ballet has not become any less special.
“I think now as an adult it means even more to me because I also know that there are so many young kids seeing it and that's a very big moment for them or it's a family tradition,” she said.
Claire Wessells, performing as a lead angel, said her favorite part of this year's “Nutcracker” has been the rehearsals at the Ohio Theatre and getting to perform with the company members. She said “The Nutcracker” held a very important place in her heart.
“It’s just my favorite time of year, and it means the Christmas spirit to me,” Wessells said.
Claire’s sister, Emily, who played a party girl, said being able to work with the company and meet new people has been her favorite part of the show and she was inspired by her sister to start dancing.
Emily said “The Nutcracker” was an awesome part of the year that she looked forward to.
“It just gets you more in the holiday spirit if you will,” she said.
Adara Bowman, playing the role of a soldier, a jump mouse and a transformation mouse said this year has been stressful because it was her first time playing three roles and being in the opening cast.
Nevertheless, Bowman said being in the cast has been nothing short of exciting and fun.
“It's just a fun time of year, and it's something to look forward to at the end of the year,” she said.
Jamari Cunningham, playing the role of a soldier and a mouse, said although the experience of “The Nutcracker” has been fun this year, there have been a lot of issues with the show as the role can be a little hazardous but he has been able to work through them diligently.
“There’s been a lot of problems,” he said “It’s kind of scandalous. It’s a little risky role, but it's been really fun.”
Chloe Steele, playing the role of Clara, said her experience with being cast as the lead role in the show has been nothing short of incredible. She said she was very lucky to have teachers there to help her learn the ins and outs of both the choreography and the emotions.
Steele said being cast as Clara made her realize the trust that her teachers had in her when she was going through auditions.
“It’s a very big responsibility, and it’s just amazing to think that everybody there who contributed to the casting process sat there and were like ‘Well we believe in you to take on this big responsibility,‘” she said.
Steele said she hopes everyone learns a little something more about dance as they watch this classic story.
“I hope that they learn to appreciate dance maybe more than they had before,” she said. “Looking at the dance and understanding the story and just appreciating all the work that everybody does that goes into the show.”
Correction appended: A previous version of this article contained the incorrect spelling of Claire Wessell’s last name. This article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
