Every December, Atlanta Ballet puts on “The Nutcracker,” a classical ballet set on Christmas Eve telling the story of a child’s imagination. This year, three Midtown students will be part of the performance.
Freshman Laylah Flit is in Academy 5 at Atlanta Ballet. Flit said she has enjoyed dancing her entire life and has been in “The Nutcracker” every year since Atlanta Ballet updated its production of the show in 2018, including using new technology, sets and characters to create a more modern feel for the ballet.
“I’ve been dancing since I was 3, but I wasn’t very committed to it until I was around 7 years old.” Flit said. “So, I’ve been dancing almost my whole life.”
Sophomores Lilo Cassimatis and Hanalei Hampton have also been dancing since they were young. Both dancers have performed the production and are looking forward to another year.
“I’ve been in [“The Nutcracker”] the past four years,” Cassimatis said. “It’s not really difficult anymore; it’s pretty much in my memory since I’ve been doing it so long.”
All three girls are playing stars in the show, one of the allocated roles for their company levels.
“This year, I will be a star,” Hampton said. “It’s essentially one of Mother Ginger’s clowns from the original ‘Nutcracker.’”
The dancers are part of Atlanta Ballet’s ”Academy” program, which focuses on ballet training for teens.
“We do ballet mostly, working on our technique every single day besides Sundays,” Flit said. “We also do modern and a type of dance called character, which has ties to a type of dance from Europe. It all really widens our technique.”
The Academy program is intense and meant to prepare students who wish to pursue careers in dance.
“[Academy] is what I would call pre-professional training,” Hampton said. “I’ve been doing it for about two years now.”
Since the girls dance in the Academy, they weren’t required to audition for “The Nutcracker.”
“When you’re in ‘Academy,’ you’re not required to audition,” Hampton said. “They assign you a role based on your level and your skill set. Sometimes, they mix the kids up, but most of the time it’s based on level for ‘Academy’ students. Anyone can audition if they dance under Atlanta Ballet though.”
Hampton said a ballet with many students involved often requires a lot of rehearsal and work, making it a large time commitment for the dancers. Dancers in upper-level “Academy” typically have around five hours of rehearsal every week on top of their regular classes. As it gets closer to their show dates, the rehearsals get longer.
“I know that a lot of people who go to public school, including me, have to go to rehearsals that are during school hours, so we have to leave for that,” Hampton said. “That can get complicated.”
Flit said that the show was a large time commitment. She believes there’s an importance in staying healthy while the show is taking place.
“You have to make sure that you’re keeping your body healthy because you don’t want to get sick before a performance or anything,” Flit said. “Especially during the cold season, it can be hard to stay away from the flu, but showing up to rehearsal and being committed is important.”
Cassimatis agrees that staying healthy during shows is important, but she also believes that too much talk about the health and bodies of dancers can be negative.
“One thing about ballet is that it has toxic body standards,” Cassimatis said. “It’s not good for dancers to think about their bodies too hard.”
During the rehearsal process, the students in the production get to work with each other and the older company members. Lisl Huber is the mother of fourth grader McKay Huber, who is playing a toy soldier in the production. She said that her daughter looks forward to working with the older dancers.
“She really enjoys the professionalism and ability to dance with dancers of such a high caliber,” Huber said. “She gets to dance with professional ballerinas, as well as ‘Academy’ ballerinas. She enjoys getting to be backstage with them and watching them perform.”
Atlanta Ballet’s company is made up of professional adult dancers. The company is considered to be the professional next-level-up from ‘Academy,’ making it the goal for those serious about pursuing dance.
“I’m excited for people to see the company,” Flit said. “They work really hard, and they’re there 24/7. There’s just so much work that goes into the show every year.”
Cassimatis also believes a lot of effort goes into the show, and said she’s looking forward to an audience getting to watch their hard work.
“I hope that when people come to see the show they enjoy it,” Cassimatis said. “We put a lot of effort and time into it, and I feel like we’ve tried really hard to make it look good.”
Flit believes that while the process can be difficult and feel long, the end is worth it.
“At the end of it, you get to perform on stage and connect with the crowd,” Flit said. “You also get a lot of applause at the end, which is nice, too.”
Huber said seeing the show with family and friends has become a part of their tradition around the holidays. They all look forward to watching McKay perform then go back to Huber’s house afterwards.
“We usually have some sort of a hot cocoa, hors d’oeuvres event at our house with our family and friends after one of the shows closer to Christmas,” Huber said. “It’s become a part of our family’s way to celebrate the holiday.”
Hampton enjoys the holiday feeling the show gives her and the sense of tradition it brings for many people.
“I’m excited for teens to see people their own age, like me, performing and on the stage,” Hampton said. “The show just feels like a passed on tradition and makes me feel very at home and happy.”
