“I can’t do this,” the Sugar Plum Fairy frantically thought. Too many people would be watching that night: friends, family and graduated alumni.
It was an hour before the first show of the season. Shiny Shen, a sophomore who was performing as the Sugar Plum Fairy, meagerly nibbled on chicken backstage as she mentally prepared for the big night ahead. Her nerves picked up as she remembered her friends would be coming to watch, as well as past dancers of the ballet company.
Just as she began to panic, she looked around the room at her fellow dancers, laughing and chatting among themselves, and suddenly, she felt a wave of calm and warmth rush over her. She realized in that moment that no matter how many times she may fall, her fellow dancers would always be there to pick her up.
The feeling of kinship she felt in the moment overwhelmed her with gratitude, and invigorated that night’s performance in Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, the classic story of Clara in the Land of Sweets on Christmas Eve. It is a ballet performed and enjoyed worldwide — and Chapel Hill is no exception.
Triangle Youth Ballet celebrated its 24th production of The Nutcracker in December, featuring a talented cast of young dancers, including several East students.
“I just like being with my TYB family,” said Shen. “I like spending time with them. And then I like being able to, at the end, show off the combination of our hard work and teamwork.”
Amanda Zhang, a freshman, has participated in Nutcracker for three years, performing as the Bunny this time.
“It’s a really fun experience and I love being on stage, especially as a dancer,” says Zhang. “Our company is really close.”
Liana Tortora, a sophomore, echoes the sentiment. She has been dancing in The Nutcracker since she was 10, and was cast as the Dewdrop Fairy this year.
“Besides my love of dance, I like dancing with my friends and performing,” said Tortora. “The Nutcracker is a good chance to do that.”
However, the extravagant performance is also a huge time commitment, and a sacrifice especially for high school students. Preparations begin in August every year, and from then on through December, it is Nutcracker season — meaning practices and rehearsals every weekend.
“At the height of rehearsals, we had them Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And then regular classes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,” says Shen. “We would have six hours on the weekends per day.”
Shen’s role, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, was larger this year, and she found it challenging to balance school work with a tight ballet schedule.
“I get a lot of my schoolwork done in school, in class,” explains Shen. “And then, lack of sleep. A lot of coffee.”
Tortora and Zhang face similar issues and try to finish homework in school so that they can dance after school and on the weekends.
“The Nutcracker pretty much takes up my whole weekend,” said Tortora. “I try to do everything at school.”
Triangle Youth Ballet also puts on other shows throughout the year, such as Dracula and Sleeping Beauty. Still, students recognize The Nutcracker as a favorite.
“Oh, it’s number one,” says Shen. “You’ve got glitter spray and pretty tiaras — obviously it’s going to be number one.”
