The Nutcracker, a Tchaikovsky ballet that originated in the 1890’s, is a staple in many homes during the holiday season. Madison students Madeleine Connelly (’26), Sarah West (’25) and Maya Sheth (’24) are continuing this tradition in their own productions of the Nutcracker.
“I love the tradition of it,” Connelly said. She is dancing the roles of Dew Drop and Snow Queen this year in The Center for Ballet Arts production of the Nutcracker. “And I love my parts this year. They are both really different and fun in their own ways.
Connelly has been dancing since she was 4-years-old and always wanted to be a part of the Nutcracker. She remembers wanting to be just like the ballerinas on the stage.
“Every year my family and I would go see it,” Connelly said. “I would always look up to the girls and be like ‘I want to be on that stage.’”
In second grade, her dream finally came true when she danced in her first Nutcracker as an Ice Fairy. She said her first Nutcracker was a very positive experience and it made her want to keep dancing in it.
“My first memory is probably when I had a student teacher and she was dancing Sugar Plum that year. I remember I looked up to her so much. And I remember wanting to give her a gift, because she was my teacher that year, so I got her a Bath and Body Works Sugar Plum Candle,” Connelly said. “After the show she came up to me and was like ‘Thank you so much Maddie, you’re a beautiful dancer and you’re going to do beautiful things.’”
Back then, Connelly’s teacher was an “older girl” at the Center for Ballet Arts and Connelly wanted to be just like her. Now, Connelly realizes that she is an “older girl” and many of the younger ballet students look up to her. She said it was a surreal feeling.
“Honestly, it freaks me out knowing that younger kids are looking up to me,” Connelly said. “It’s crazy insane that I’m that person. Yesterday this girl came up to me and told me I was her biggest role model.”
West shared a similar sentiment saying it was surreal to be seen as a role model to the younger ballerinas.
“At my studio [Sky Ballet Center] the older girls always have a really good relationship with the younger girls,” West said. “We have the really little girls pair up with an older girl and they dress up as your role at one of our rehearsals. It’s so cute because they are like mini versions of us.”
Nutcracker season is very important to all the dancers involved in productions. The dancers are constantly spending long hours at the studio making sure their production is something they are going to be proud to perform on show day. Dancers sacrifice lots of their time learning their solos and their understudy’s solos, finding/fitting costumes, tech weeks and dress rehearsals. They do all of this while balancing school, which tends to have an increase in workload in the winter. The dancers spend almost every day afterschool at the studio and are there for long hours on the weekend, but they all believe the sacrifice is worth it.
“We rehearse a ton of hours every week and a lot goes into making the Nutcracker something we are all proud of,” Sheth said.
Connelly, Sheth and West’s Nutcracker performances are spread out throughout the holiday season and they would love for you to attend!