Red velvet curtains hide the beautiful set from the chattering audience. Nervous dancers stretch backstage, anticipating their first entrances. To most people, the Nutcracker is simply a classic ballet tradition, in which a young girl Clara receives a magical wooden Nutcracker on Christmas Eve from her Uncle Drosselmeyer. That night, when Clara goes downstairs to retrieve her beloved Nutcracker, she finds a surprise. The Nutcracker comes to life and fights the Mouse King until Clara strikes the Mouse King with her shoe, allowing the Nutcracker to make one final blow. The Nutcracker expresses his gratitude, and they go on a journey to the Kingdom of Sweets, where countless dancers perform to celebrate their arrival like the Spanish Chocolate, Ribbon Candy, Bon Bons, and the Rose and her flowers. As the grand finale, the glorious Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier perform a special dance to honor Clara. With that, Clara’s journey ends, and she wakes up from her glorious dream with the Nutcracker beside her bed.  Locally, the Parks and Recreation Department of Santa Clara is in the midst of its ninth year of this wonderful holiday tradition. This year there were six shows, all during the weekend of Friday, the 11th through Sunday the 13th.

From the audience, spectators can appreciate the beauty and skill of ballet while being entertained by the exciting dances. The dancers are full of adrenaline, smiles, and positive energy. It is truly amazing how much emotion and passion dancers can express without saying a word. Polished dances, an impressive set, and the dazzling costumes make for an unforgettable experience. Motivation drives the ballerinas. Each year, you aim for a bigger role. You push yourself during practices to prove you are worthy of that solo dance. Miss Kimberly Davey has been the director and choreographer for the Nutcracker for nine years. She also danced in professional companies’ productions of the Nutcracker for twenty-six years. She informed me, “The best part of the Nutcracker for me is watching the joy, pride, and excitement in all of the young children’s eyes as they finally get on stage and the magic begins. Not only is it magical for the young children, it is equally as exciting for the older girls. For my older dancers, it is watching them grow technically and artistically each year and also watching them completely support each other backstage.”

The Nutcracker Ballet was first presented in St. Petersburg, Russia in December of 1892. Composer Peter Tchaikovsky was hired by choreographer Marius Petipa to compose the ballet. The Nutcracker has grown rapidly since then, becoming the most popular ballet and a staple for most professional companies. For the Santa Clara production, the first year of the production in 2006 featured about 100 ballerinas, and has grown to over 240 ballerinas this year. Several high-school-aged dancers, myself included, started in 2006 and have continued each year since. Wilcox sophomore YueTong Tsen, who will be playing the Chinese Lead Dancer, told me that, “my favorite thing about the Nutcracker is getting to wear the intricate.” She also said that she loves the rewarding opportunity to perform onstage.

As effortless as ballet may seem, it requires technique, energy, and dedication. Countless hours go into practicing for this annual production. Pointe and solo roles begin rehearsal in June, and the other roles start in August. Either way, it shows how much dedication it takes to be a part of something like this. While the practices may seem tiring and at times boring, the excitement during the weekend of the show makes it all worth it. The thrill of putting on the beautiful tutus and getting ready with your friends is infectious. Santa Clara freshman Elisa Salazar has been in the Nutcracker for the whole nine years. She told me, “how hard the staff works with the costumes and makeup backstage really makes a difference with each year… everyone in the production has basically grown up together and kind of became a little family.” The Nutcracker has helped create special bonds between the dancers.

The Nutcracker ballet is an event that ballerinas wait all year for. It is very rewarding to finally perform a dance that you have practiced so long for. It truly makes life long memories and makes the holidays an even more exciting time.