Southern California Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” returns for 30th year

Southern California Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” returns for 30th year

Ramona Sentinel | San Diego Union Tribune

by Elizabeth Marie Himchak

In a sign of how skilled its older students have become, three Southern California Ballet dancers have been cast in roles often performed by professionals in “The Nutcracker.”

Misha MacGowan and Emilia Wightlin are sharing the role of Snow Queen in seven shows from Dec. 15-18. Zachary Ong is partnering with both girls as the Snow Cavalier during the Christmastime ballet at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

“I am very excited and feel very blessed to be the Snow Queen because it is one of my dream roles,” said MacGowan, a 17-year-old Rancho Bernardo High junior and Poway resident. “I feel like it is a professional role, so magical, and I strove to do it. I’m grateful to have gotten there.”

This is the second year for Wightlin to dance as the Snow Queen.

“Definitely learning it is easier this time, so I can focus more on perfecting the steps instead of what comes next,” said Wightlin a 17-year-old Del Norte High senior and Del Sur resident.

Wightlin said the experience is still different because of having a new partner.

It has been a few years since Southern California Ballet has been able to present a full holiday season of “The Nutcracker” due to the pandemic.

So having seven shows scheduled for the studio’s 30th anniversary of presenting Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet is especially sweet.

“Last year we had to cut back on the number of school shows. PUSD was not doing field trips, so we cut a day. We just did one day of the school shows and the public performances,” said Toby Batley, co-artistic director of the Carmel Mountain Ranch-based dance studio.

“This year we are excited to be back,” Batley said. “Part of the fun for everybody is being in the theater for a whole week. So it was sad for everybody last year.”

“The Nutcracker” is the story of a young girl named Clara whose godfather gifts her with a nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. When Clara falls asleep, her nutcracker turns into a human-size prince, he saves her from an army of mice by battling the Mouse King, then takes her on a magical journey to the Land of Sweets. There is a celebration highlighting treats from around the world and Clara meets the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Three public performances of the two-hour ballet will be held at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18 in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 14598 Espola Road. They will feature 110 children and teens, along with 15 parent performers. Two professional dancers from Ballet de Monterrey in Mexico will dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier.

Southern California Ballet’s Nutcracker Snow Queen was danced for many years by a professional guest artist. But several years back student ballerinas started getting cast because the dance studio had students with the skills to dance the role, Batley said.

MacGowan and Wightlin said they remember being young dancers when older student ballerinas got the role. That change gave them the aspiration to work hard so they could be good enough for the role someday.

Last year a professional dancer was the Snow Cavalier, but this year SCB has a male student capable of the role, Batley said.

Ong is an 18-year-old Rancho Bernardo High senior and Carmel Mountain Ranch resident.

“This is my first pas de deux (dance duet) and it requires a lot of thought and concentration,” Ong said. “You are keeping up with your partner, supporting her the best you can while dancing. It is a lot of fun, exhilarating because of the close interaction with another dancer.”

Ong said the partners in a pas de deux, while individuals, have to dance as one.

MacGowan said this is her first pas de deux. She called the experience “exciting” especially since she has known Ong since they were children.

“It is special that we get to dance together on stage,” MacGowan said, adding the coordination between them is her biggest challenge.

“You’re not just dancing alone,” she said. “With a partner, you know what to do when, but if too nervous and you speed up they might not know. So you have to stay calm throughout it.”

Wightlin said because the dance studio does not have a lot of older teenage boys, opportunities to do partner work have been few.

“We do not get to perform pas de deux a lot, but when you are partnering you figure it out,” she said.

Tickets for “The Nutcracker” are $25 to $60, with child (under 12), senior (65-plus), military (active duty and veteran) and group (10 or more) discounts offered. Buy at powaycenter.com or 858-748-0505.

To make attending a ballet accessible to a wider audience, Southern California Ballet also presents four slightly shorter school shows (around 1 hour 20 minutes each) at discounted prices. Tickets are $5 each. Two shows are sold out. The 9:15 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16 show has limited tickets.

As of Monday, many tickets remained for the 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 15 school show that is sensory friendly. The music is not as loud and the strobe lights eliminated so those who might be affected by those elements can still enjoy the ballet. Batley said this includes people with autism or epilepsy. Also welcome to attend are individuals with disabilities, groups of seniors and students in public schools, private schools or home schooling.

“It is practically the same show,” Batley said of the sensory-friendly version.

School show tickets can be purchased at southerncaliforniaballet.org/nutcracker-outreach.

As for “The Nutcracker,” this year’s Snow Queens and Cavalier have danced most of the ballet’s roles at some point over the years. Each has been dancing at Southern California Ballet since they were children. MacGowan started at age 3, Ong at 6 and Wightlin, who started dancing at age 2, joined SCB at age 9.

Each said they remember looking up to the older dancers in previous Nutcrackers. Now they are the ones young dancers aspire to become.

The trio also dance other roles in this year’s shows. MacGowan is in the Snow Court, Flower Court and a Mirliton. Wightlin is in the Snow Court, a Lead Flower, Spanish Chocolate and Mirliton. Ong is also the Chinese Lead and a Flower Lead.

“Any time there is a performance it is exciting,” Wightlin said. “It is fun and I have been doing it a long time. I remember being a little mouse. ... I also remember being Clara as a sixth-grader. That was the first year the Snow Queen was performed by someone at the studio. It was so cool and I was amazed by her.”

Ong said when he joined SCB there were few boys at the studio. Now there are many young boys, which he said is exciting. “I represent what a male dancer is in their eyes,” he added.

Batley said he thinks “The Nutcracker” is so popular because “people love the holidays and it has become a main holiday event.”

Audiences also love Tchaikovsky’s music, he said.

“He is such a great ballet composer ... it is a good Christmas story, so it is a great thing to do at that time of year.”