As the holiday season fast approaches, young dancers work tirelessly to perfect their craft and movements towards one shared performance, The Nutcracker. Arguably the most well-known ballet, The Nutcracker is a staple of the holiday season.
But it’s more than just a performance. The Nutcracker offers an opportunity for community and growth, according to the artistic director and founder of Ballet Petit, Peggy Peabody.
Ballet Petit’s 47th Nutcracker performance is set for Dec. 6 at 2pm and 7pm at Chabot College Center for the Performing Arts.
Peabody began her production as a small showcase in her mother’s preschool in 1979. Growing up, this was the first year that Peabody was not in a Nutcracker performance and she felt that absence.
Over the years, the show has grown into the full-scale production the community knows it as today.
“I’m always reminding them that we’re living this year on the shoulders of the people who came before us,” Peabody said. “This didn’t come from nowhere.”
Peabody credits this growth to the hard work of both her performers, staff and parent volunteers, many of whom have been at Ballet Petit for years.
“We’ve always had a huge effort with parents, which has been a gift,” Peabody said.
Additionally, many of the older students have been at Ballet Petit since they were young children, and Nutcracker performances have become an exciting tradition.
“We’ve all been here so long and so many of my best memories of the studio are being backstage at Nutcracker,” said Lilia Anguelouch. Angueloch has been at Ballet Petit for 11 years and is performing this year in the roles of Snow Queen and Chocolate Princess.
“Both of my roles are absolute dream roles,” Angueloch added.
Peabody said that seeing her students advance and move through different roles is one of her favorite parts of the production.
“It’s such a rite of passage,” she said. “It’s something that is really important to the students and their parents.”
The production itself has grown alongside performers, Peabody said, performers like Eunice Chan, who has been dancing and learning at Ballet Petit for 11 years. This year, Chan is performing in the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Rat Queen.
“Rat Queen really is my favorite role,” Chan said. “It really is fun to see how other people have interpreted the role, and incorporate my own artistry.”
This freedom which allows dancers to embody roles and shift them when necessary is very important, Peabody said. Typically Nutcracker performances feature a Rat King instead of a Rat Queen.
Peabody noted a previous instance in which a student pointed out racist caricatures in a dance called Chinese Tea. Now, Ballet Petit’s version is called Tea and the choreography for this dance, as well as some others in the performance, have been changed to be more appropriate and respectful.
Another dancer, Natalie Clausen, said that this support and understanding created a very positive atmosphere which encourages a strong sense of community, a feeling she misses when in other spaces centered around ballet.
“Being here feels homey,” Clausen said.
This year, Clausen is performing as the Sugar Plum Fairy for the second year. And she feels that she’s really been able to grow into the role.
“We’re not just here to teach ballet,” Peabody said. “It’s really important to me that we truly come together as people and as artists.”
Ballet Petit Nutcracker
Saturday, Dec. 6
2pm and 7pm
Chabot College Center for the Performing Arts; Building 1300
25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
Tickets: $23 – 30
