Tiny Dancers
With visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in their heads, hundreds of nimble little children flock to the Sacramento Ballet studios every fall and audition for choice roles in the Ballet’s most popular production, The Nutcracker. This year was no exception, as 719 hopefuls as young as 6 went toe to toe with each other to score 470 parts, including those as Mother Ginger Children, Teeny Tiny Mice and Baby Bunnies. “We have beautiful professional dancers, but what makes our Nutcracker special is the number of children we use. I believe we have the largest cast of children of any company in America,” says the Ballet’s longtime co-artistic director Ron Cunningham. We were there during the tutu tryouts in September, and we offer you an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes—both at the thrill of victory and, the agony of the feet. Here, more than ever you’ll see that there are no small roles, just small dancers.
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From left, Allie Umemoto, Taylor Graves and Sophia Bonenfant are all smiles as Nutcracker coordinator Marla Quinn points out that they won the roles of Baby Bunnies. “I was hoping I would get the part,” says 9-year-old Sophia, who is in her third Nutcracker (which plays Dec. 8-23). “I was just amazed because I’ve been trying so hard for all these years.”From left, Allie Umemoto, Taylor Graves and Sophia Bonenfant are all smiles as Nutcracker coordinator Marla Quinn points out that they won the roles of Baby Bunnies. “I was hoping I would get the part,” says 9-year-old Sophia, who is in her third Nutcracker (which plays Dec. 8-23). “I was just amazed because I’ve been trying so hard for all these years.”
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Boys don’t cry, but they do get cranky. “I was feeling tired because my dad woke me up at the wrong time,” says 8-year-old Dafydd Wynne (second from left), who also did give a squat about having to wait five hours between auditions. While he got into ballet because “my parents told me that I had to do it,” he digs it now because “I like to wear costumes.”Boys don’t cry, but they do get cranky. “I was feeling tired because my dad woke me up at the wrong time,” says 8-year-old Dafydd Wynne (second from left), who also did give a squat about having to wait five hours between auditions. While he got into ballet because “my parents told me that I had to do it,” he digs it now because “I like to wear costumes.”
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Girls have a jump start over boys, says Cunningham. Boys typically don’t have as much ballet training as girls, “so it takes a little more time to show and explain things to them. [Whereas] you can say to a girl, ‘I want you to take three steps to the right, skip in place, and then kneel.’”Girls have a jump start over boys, says Cunningham. Boys typically don’t have as much ballet training as girls, “so it takes a little more time to show and explain things to them. [Whereas] you can say to a girl, ‘I want you to take three steps to the right, skip in place, and then kneel.’”
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Alicia Day (left) and Emily Tan hold their heads up high after learning they’d landed parts in the Mother Ginger dance scene for the second year in a row. “This was so amazing,” says Emily, 9. “We’re in the same cast again.” “And [as] partners,” adds Alicia, 10.Alicia Day (left) and Emily Tan hold their heads up high after learning they’d landed parts in the Mother Ginger dance scene for the second year in a row. “This was so amazing,” says Emily, 9. “We’re in the same cast again.” “And [as] partners,” adds Alicia, 10.
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“I thought it was tragic,” says Sara Aceves, getting comforted when she learns that she didn’t get a role in Mother Ginger. “I see it as part of an educational process, the rejection part,” says Cunningham. “It’s a good lesson to learn. That as you go through life, you try for things and occasionally don’t get something you wanted, but life goes on.”“I thought it was tragic,” says Sara Aceves, getting comforted when she learns that she didn’t get a role in Mother Ginger. “I see it as part of an educational process, the rejection part,” says Cunningham. “It’s a good lesson to learn. That as you go through life, you try for things and occasionally don’t get something you wanted, but life goes on.”
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Among the tights-knit group were two little women in red, 8-year-old Marcella Bertolino (left) and 7-year-old Gabrielle Airola. “It was boring—I was sitting there for hours,” Marcella explains. “We were trying to have some fun, so we sat on each other.”Among the tights-knit group were two little women in red, 8-year-old Marcella Bertolino (left) and 7-year-old Gabrielle Airola. “It was boring—I was sitting there for hours,” Marcella explains. “We were trying to have some fun, so we sat on each other.”
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Parents are not allowed in the audition rooms, so they tote their lawn chairs and sit outside the studios for hours, hoping that their child comes out waving a rehearsal packet, American Idol style. The news was worth the wait for one mom, Katesha Campbell, whose daughter, Anaja, snagged a Mother Ginger part. “It was quite emotional,” she says. Adds Anaja, “I ran up to her, and then it was a happy time for me.”Parents are not allowed in the audition rooms, so they tote their lawn chairs and sit outside the studios for hours, hoping that their child comes out waving a rehearsal packet, American Idol style. The news was worth the wait for one mom, Katesha Campbell, whose daughter, Anaja, snagged a Mother Ginger part. “It was quite emotional,” she says. Adds Anaja, “I ran up to her, and then it was a happy time for me.”
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Auditioning kids puts a bounce in Cunningham’s step. “A side benefit to me as a 67-year-old big wazoo artistic director in a room full of children hopping around like bunnies is that it keeps me young,” he says. “I can’t get on my high horse and be the artiste. And that’s a lot of fun.”Auditioning kids puts a bounce in Cunningham’s step. “A side benefit to me as a 67-year-old big wazoo artistic director in a room full of children hopping around like bunnies is that it keeps me young,” he says. “I can’t get on my high horse and be the artiste. And that’s a lot of fun.”
This article appears in the December 2006-January 2007 issue of Sactown Magazine.
