Every year for “The Nutcracker,” New York City Ballet uses more than 100 students from the School of American Ballet. The ballet is often a student’s first time in a character role and his or her first exposure to professional dancers. As SAB students move up the ladder – to become apprentices, company members, and principal dancers – they take on and watch a variety of roles in “The Nutcracker.” Which means that some of today’s biggest names in ballet started out at the bottom of the totem pole – in other words, as angels, mice, dew drops, or candy canes.

ALLEGRA KENT
Former NYCB principal

As a child, Allegra Kent was part of the 1954 debut of “The Nutcracker” at City Center. “It came together so quickly,” she recalls. “We didn’t see the whole thing as we were rehearsing. But every time we saw a little part of it, the ballet revealed itself. The costumes were delivered at the very last minute.” Though Ms. Kent would go on to dance lead roles in many Balanchine ballets, she started small. “I started out 50 years ago as a mouse,” she said. “Later I became Dew Drop and Sugarplum Fairy. So I went from animal to mineral to vegetable.” Dancing the principal roles at the time were Maria Tallchief and Tanaquil Le Clercq. As for herself, Ms. Kent had a preference for dancing Dew Drop, but found that the real joy of the ballet was variety: “The idea is you get to do something different every night.” Jennie Somogyi

NYCB principal Jennie Somogyi – currently one of City Ballet’s brightest stars – started out with an enviable role: Marie, which she danced for two years, at ages 9 and 10.”It was kind of surreal. I had just gotten to New York,” she said, adding that several months before the auditions she had broken her collarbone. “I was in a go-cart, and it flipped. I was out of classes for a month or two. And I had just started back taking class before the audition. “But she was no worse for wear – and she was blissfully ignorant. “I wasn’t really aware of what a big deal it was. I remember not being nervous at the first [performance]. There were so many rehearsals. In my mind, it was just another rehearsal.” The calm nerves didn’t last long: “The second show I remember being so, so nervous. I realized, ‘This is really important.'” Later, Ms. Somogyi went on to dance as a Polichinelle, a Candy Cane, and a little bit of everything. Though she is currently off stage due to an injury, Ms. Somogyi has danced the two leading female roles often and recalls watching ballerinas including Heather Watts, Darci Kistler, and Maria Calegari in them. As for her preferences: “Dew Drop is really fun. It was always a part that I wanted to do,” she said. “It really travels, and it’s big. But I love the pas de deux for Sugarplum.”

JOHN SELYA
Star of “Movin’ Out”

John Selya wows the Broadway crowd every night with his whiplash turns. But when he was a 16-year-old SAB student in “The Nutcracker,” he covered the floor in a different way. “I was a bed boy,” he said, referring to the young man whose job is to drive the bed around the stage during Marie’s dream. “That was my favorite role. He’s on his knees, and he’s attached to a bar. He follows a pattern on the floor.” At 11, Mr. Selya was cast as a boy in the party scene. “I learned huge things about how to act on stage and interact with your fellow dancers,” he said. “I learned how to stay in line. You really need to know about patterns and formations. Even though they get more sophisticated, you always take those basic fundamentals.” According to Mr. Selya, the exposure to older dancers is one of the most valuable assets for the children in this ballet. “You see how dancers transform from backstage to on-stage, how they warm up. At that age you’re a sponge.” Mr. Selya went on to join American Ballet Theatre at age 18. With him he took the memories of watching partners like Helgi Tomasson and Patricia McBride or Merrill Ashley and Adam Luders in the leading roles.

GARIELLE WHITTLE
NYCB children’s ballet mistress, SAB faculty member, former dancer

Since 1983, Garielle Whittle has been responsible for getting all the ballet’s children in straight lines with their parts memorized. But she danced in “The Nutcracker” many times herself as the Mother, a Snowflake, and a Flower. At the time, she was not paying attention to the children: “When I was a dancer I was hardly even aware that there were children there.”

The role of the mother, she quickly learned, is a central one. “You’re the hostess of the party. You’re right out there in the center of everything, giving attention to everyone.” Her ability to teach the ballet to children year after year is surely shaped by her own experiences. “Balanchine would coach us forever. We were given very direct information.”

PETER BOAL
NYCB principal, new artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet

A classicist of the highest order, Peter Boal began his “Nutcracker” career as a boy in the party scene and moved up to be the Nutcracker Prince. The leading role was fun, he recalls, but not the party scene: “I was terrified.” The process of learning the princely role gave him a solid foundation for the future. “There are valuable lessons about stage timing and pantomime,” said Mr. Boal. In the ballet, the young prince tells the Sugarplum Fairy – in mime – about the defeat of the Mouse King. This is possibly the longest male solo in the ballet. Learning it took time: “We sat down with a legal pad and a pen. I was told to go home and memorize the poem. I still remember those words.” The prince and Marie sit on a throne and watch most of Act II, which was a pleasure. “You have the best seat in the house. And you watch it 25 times,” he said, adding that as a result anyone who has been the prince surely remembers who danced the leading roles. In his case, it was Patricia McBride and Helgi Tomasson and Suzanne Farrell and Peter Martins. He also recalls watching a teenaged Kyra Nichols, as well as Karin von Aroldingen and Colin Neary.

MERRILL ASHLEY
NYCB teaching associate, former principal

Merrill Ashley danced so many “Nutcracker” roles that she can tick them off like a laundry list: “I danced Candy Cane, Snow, Parents, Maid, Spanish Flowers, Dew Drop, and Sugar Plum Fairy.” Of the principal roles, she recalls with pleasure dancing Dew Drop. “It expresses most what I love about dancing – exuberance. I loved the pas de deux [as the Sugar Plum Fairy], but I felt more natural in Dew Drop.” When taking on the role of the Sugarplum Fairy, Ms. Ashley paid special attention to the first entrance – during which the ballerina bourrees amid the tiny angels – to appear as a balance of grandeur and warmth. “I rehearsed that opening more than the dancing,” she recalls. She was privileged to see some of the best in the business while she was a young dancer: Ms. Farrell, Violette Verdy, Melissa Hayden, and Ms. Kent.

ABIGAIL CRUTCHFIELD
NYCB apprentice

This fall, Abigail Crutchfield, age 17, was promoted to the apprentice level, which is the first step in becoming a full company member. This year in “The Nutcracker” she’ll be the Maid, a Snowflake, and part of the Spanish dance. She’s a little nervous about the snowflake scene – “It’s really tiring because it’s all jumping.” But there’s reason to look forward to the Spanish variation: “I’m excited to dance it because we get colored pointe shoes. I have orange.” After entering SAB at age 8, Ms. Crutchfield performed as a Candy Cane and a Soldier in “The Nutcracker.” “It was exciting then because it was my first experience on stage. Now I’m excited because I’m more a part of it,” she said.