North Hills children part of cast for 'The Nutcracker' at the Benedum
Forget Black Friday or Cyber Monday — for many Pittsburgh area ballet enthusiasts, the Christmas season doesn't really start until they take their seats at the Benedum Center for the annual performance of the “The Nutcracker.”
And if you're from the North Hills, there's a good chance you might recognize some of the performers.
Five local students ranging in age form 10 to 16 are appearing in the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 15th anniversary production featuring a score by famed Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky.
Dancer Erika Mrazik, 16, of McCandless, who is performing in the Pittsburgh Nutcracker for the eighth time, said the experience has given her insight into the career she hopes to pursue and provided an opportunity to assist the younger performers.
“When I first started doing the show I would always be nervous during rehearsals because of all the important people who were there watching us,” she said. “So now I try to help the younger kids with their steps and give them some guidance. But it's also very inspiring for me to see how excited they are.”
The other local performers in the show are Cassidy Nelson, 11, of Ross; Mackenzie Cherry, 12, of Marshall; Abigail Kreps, 11, of Ross; and Skyler Agostoni, 10, of McCandless.
“I love being involved in the show,” said Mrazik, who has participated in summer programs with the Joffrey Ballet in New York, the Boston Ballet School and the Miami City Ballet. “It really gets me in the holiday mood and I enjoy the experience of being with the older dancers to see what their days are like and all the things they have to do to prepare. It's made me want to work harder.”
Marjorie Grundvig, co-director of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, said the annual performance has grown into a tradition for the participants as well as the patrons for whom they are performing.
“For many of our school families, ‘The Nutcracker' is the most anticipated time of the school year and a huge part of their own holiday traditions,” she said. “By performing alongside PBT's company dancers, ‘The Nutcracker' provides an incomparable training opportunity for our students by letting them gain main stage experience in a professional performance setting.”
In addition to using local talent for the production, “The Nutcracker” features several nods to Pittsburgh.
The “Snow Scene” provides a view from Mount Washington,; there's a clock inspired by the Kaufmann's clock at Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street in downtown, and a “Land of Enchantment” pays homage to the city's historic amusement parks.
Over time, producers have added other tasty regional nuggets — a toy penguin wearing a hockey jersey and rats waving Terrible Towels. Local celebrities also have made cameo appearances including Mr. McFeeley from “Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood,” retired Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
Beyond the Pittsburgh and pop culture references, the show has a tradition of creating unique casting combinations to ensure that no two performances are exactly alike.
“It carries the comfort and warmth of tradition, yet it is never the same show twice,” said Terrence S. Orr, the ballet company's artistic director.
“We are always finding new wrinkles in the characters, new layers to the story and variations in the dancing,” Orr said. “I really do believe that you could watch each of the 26 shows and discover something new each time. There is something magical about that.”
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.
