SD Union Tribune: ‘The Nutcracker’ is a Schultz family tradition

‘The Nutcracker’ is a Schultz family tradition

San Diego Union Tribune

by Elizabeth Marie Himchak

All eight members of the Poway family will be in Southern California Ballet’s production

In what is likely the first time in Southern California Ballet’s more than 35 years, eight members of a family will perform together in its annual presentation of “The Nutcracker.”

The Schultz family of Poway said this is the first and likely only time all eight of them will be in the same show.

Mom Andrea Schultz said the two oldest children — 20-year-old Dane and 18-year-old Alexandra “Lexi” — will be leaving next year for their two-year mission as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In addition, this is the first time the youngest — 4-year-old Mia — is old enough to perform. Also in the cast are dad Bremen, 15-year-old Lillian “Lily,” 12-year-old Van and 6-year-old Case.

The family has been part of Southern California Ballet in Carmel Mountain Ranch for 10 years.

“The Nutcracker’ can be seen at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

The family’s love of dance originated in Andrea’s childhood when she studied ballet, tap and jazz with the late Patsy Swayze in Simi Valley.

“I met (her son) Patrick because he and his wife (Lisa) danced at some of our recitals,” Andrea said. “It was at the height of his stardom. I remember when he was filming ‘North and South’ and made ‘Dirty Dancing.’”

At the time, Andrea said, she was too young to see “Dirty Dancing.” Several of Patsy Swayze’s other children also taught dance lessons at their mother’s studio and in the summer she took swimming lessons in the pool at Swayze’s home.

Andrea’s interest in dance passed down to her two oldest daughters. So when the family moved to this area she looked for a studio that would have the same family feeling that she experienced with the Swayze family.

“It was my second home when I was little,” said Andrea, who is homeschooling her children.

“When I walked into SCB I recognized the same family environment,” she said. “Everyone was so sweet and kind to the kids and it had amazing instruction. It sold me immediately.”

While Bremen’s career as an anesthesiologist has taken him to hospitals at Camp Pendleton and Temecula, Andrea said their love for SCB has kept the family from moving closer to his work.

“Because of SCB we are anchored to this area,” she said.

Several years ago, parents of dancers were recruited to join the cast as party parents in the Tchaikovsky ballet’s opening scene, set at Christmas. So Andrea talked Bremen into being a party parent with her.

The couple liked it so much that they continued the next year and the year after that.

“It’s really fun,” Andrea said of the family’s involvement. “Even when Mia and Case were too little to be on stage, they were still backstage.

“We look at it as a family project ... we enjoy it,” she said. “I love getting to see my kids perform and share their talent and the hard work they put into dancing when watching on stage and backstage with them. Nutcracker season is my kids’ favorite.”

As for those who play party parents, their weekly practice sessions for one to two hours start in October and continue until the show in mid-December.

While Dane was not as interested in studying ballet, his attraction was the studio’s character class where students learn dances from Spain, Italy and Russia, his mother said.

“He loved being on stage,” Andrea said, so her oldest performed as a Trepak, doing European folk dances for many years. Now an adult, Dane returned this year as a party parent.

Most of the dancing among Schultz family members is done by Lexi and Lily, who are both SCB company dancers and take classes six days a week, with a maximum of 15 hours per week in the studio. This year Lexi was cast as a Harlequin doll, Lead Snowflake, Chocolate, Mirliton Lead and Flower. Lily was cast as Snowflake, Coffee and Flower. (Several SCB dancers share the ballet’s major roles and numbers, so who performs in each varies with each show.)

Each girl takes ballet, pointe, conditioning, character, jazz and freestyle classes.

“It is like a part-time job for them,” Andrea said of the dance classes. “They really do love it. If not, I wouldn’t (have them) do it. They are with such good, wholesome kids that they are interacting with (at SCB).”

As for the younger children, Mia is in creative ballet (she is a butterfly in the show); Case is in ballet (he was cast as Tree boy and is among the Rosebuds and Butterflies); and Van is in boys ballet, character plus conditioning classes.

For the third year, Van will dance the role of Fritz, the mischievous and naughty brother of Clara who is gifted a Nutcracker by Drosselmeyer, her godfather and a toymaker. Early in the ballet Fritz takes his sister’s beloved Nutcracker and breaks it, upsetting her.

“I like the character of Fritz because it is fun to play as it has lots of acting,” said Van, who is also cast as Sergeant Sept and a Trepak. “It’s really fun to dance.”

The choreography this year is the same as when he played Fritz in 2019. Last year, due to the pandemic, SCB made a filmed version of the ballet at the studio and Van performed alone or 8 feet away from his fellow dancers, who all had to wear masks. This year they will not have to wear masks on stage, but must wear them while backstage.

The first time Van played Fritz, his sister Lily played Clara and their father played Drosselmeyer, which added a different element to the roles, Bremen said. This year he returns as Drosselmeyer and will also perform the Czar Mouse role.

Lexi said she enjoys ballet because “I like the art form. It also takes strength and dedication.” While there is a big time commitment, it also helps her set aside other concerns, she said.

“Ballet is really nice because while there you can’t do anything else,” Lexi said. “You have to focus on class. It is a big stress reliever ... where you forget your worries about school work.”

Lexi said the key to managing her schedule is to get enough sleep so she is not tired and distracted during the day.

Besides ballet, the character class is Lexi’s favorite.

“It is pretty rare in the dancing world,” she said. “We wear heels and big skirts and learn different cultural dances, like Spanish, Italian and Russian.”

With this her senior year, Lexi said she is making sure to work very hard so she reaches her full potential in dance.

“For now, I am really appreciating the time here because it is almost over,” she said.

She also said she is grateful for how her entire family has embraced and supported her and Lily’s love of dance.

Lily said her favorite classes are the ones focused on classical ballet and is most looking forward to performing the Coffee dance.

“I watched people do that dance since I was little and saw my sister do it,” Lily said. “I finally get to and it’s great.

“It’s really cool to see all of the support and so fun to see all my family committed. It is one thing that is fun we do all together.”

For Lily, finding the motivation to take ballet classes from home over Zoom for about nine months was difficult because it did not include the aspect of center work, especially during pointe.

“It was just warm up (at the barre) which bothered me for awhile,” she said.

Their father installed a ballet barre in their dining room so they could continue their lessons and, while still too young for class, put in a lower barre for Mia so she could imitate her older sisters off screen.

Bremen said he had no dance experience as a child, but occasionally performed. He said what parents do is not technically difficult, but it is fun.

“It’s enjoyable, but mostly it is because we are all together,” Bremen said. “We have a lot of fun backstage, so it is awesome we are all here ... performing together.”

Bremen said he was a little hesitant when his wife approached him about performing years ago due to the time commitment.

“It was something new and out of my comfort zone, but when I started doing it I really enjoyed it,” he said.

Getting to dance as Drosselmeyer opposite his children when they play Clara or Fritz is special because of the interaction. And they can practice together at home.

“In no other circumstance would I be able to do this,” Bremen said. “It is live (performance) and exciting things happen, so there are little variations. There is a spontaneity to it, a thrill. I have a lot of fun doing it with the kids.”

Being in the show has also given Bremen a deeper appreciation for what all his oldest daughters do.

“It is amazing to see Lexi and Lily and how good they are,” he said. “It is the payoff as a parent taking them to classes ... we’re supporting their dream.

“So to be there for the performance, to see the fruits of how much practice they did (is special) ... They do such an amazing job and it is amazing how much stamina, concentration and poise they have on stage. I’m really proud of them.”