Western Ballet’s Nutcracker, a Community Celebration
Choreographed by Yanis Pikieris, a Colombian-Venezuelan dancer and choreographer with a distinguished international career, and set to P.I.Tchaikovsky's iconic score, having been in production for 42 years, the Western Ballet’s Nutcracker is a cherished community pride. Amid drizzling rain and aroma of mulled wine from the outdoor German Market around the community plaza, the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, the venue for the past 28 seasons for the Western Ballet’s Nutcracker, was filled with fans, friends, and families of the ballet school. Children and adults full of joy, cheer, and holiday spirit arrived in excitement and anticipation of a journey to the Land of the Sweets, a magical world filled with beloved characters of one of the most classic holiday traditions.
Western Ballet was founded in 1976 to meet the great needs of a local ballet dance school in Silicon Valley, with a mission of making the performing art of classical ballet accessible to the general public. A non-profit institution, Western Ballet has established itself as a prominent ballet school in the Bay Area, not only offering a large selection of ballet classes to children and adult students as well as aspiring professionals, but also providing a sanctuary to professional dancers to continue to train and grow. Alexi Zubiria (a Los Altos resident), a native Venezuelan raised partially in Columbia, a dancer who had a career with some of the world’s most distinguished ballet companies, took over the leadership as Artistic Director of Western Ballet since 2007.
The Nutcracker holds a pivotal place in Western Ballet’s educational program, per Eileen Zubiria, instructor and president of the board of directors, “It serves as a ‘ladder of roles,’ with students progressing over the years, from Elves and Angels to the production's principal characters. This progression fosters dedication, imagination, and growth, making it a milestone for each student's journey in ballet.” In addition, the production features strong community support by involving not only students but also families-parents, grandparents, and siblings-to participate together on stage as characters, or off stage as tech or stage crews.
This season’s casting exemplified the school’s mission as a community institution to nurture talent at every level. A total of 140 performers of all ages participated in the production. Leading roles featured veteran artists as well as professional performers and aspiring young professionals. Alexi Zubiria and David Fonnegra shared the role of Drosselmeyer. Highschool seniors Margot Zelkha and Zoe Lin, as well as Maggie Zhang, a junior, and Nao Wegner, a sophomore, shared the leading role of Clara. Western Ballet’s Alison Share and guest artist Sakura Oka took the role of Sugarplum Fairy. Highschool seniors Nikita Berevoescu, Zoe Lin and Margot Zelkha took roles in Snow Pas de Deux and Arabian Pas de Deux, paired with guest artists Ihosvany Rodriguez and Jeriel Garcia. Recent graduates Sarah Conover Hui and Polina Bortok returned from college to dance in the production. Sarah, who took the role of Dewdrop Fairy, is pursuing a BFA in Ballet at the University of Utah, and Polina is majoring in Chemical Biology at UC Berkeley and dancing with the Ballet Company at Berkeley. Two of the featured performers, Juliann Forbes and Shannon Hearn, work in the Silicon Valley tech industry and have rekindled their passion for ballet in Western Ballet's Open Program, enabling them to perform alongside the skilled Youth Company.
Stories of growth and success were cheerfully shared at the “Sweet Tea Party” after the show in the lobby, where performers greeted the audience in costumes celebrating the love for ballet. The Youth
Company were in particularly joyful spirit, hugging friends and family and snapping photos with their teachers. Indeed, what is a better way to celebrate an unforgettable performance than to embrace it in such a supportive and inclusive community?