Out & About

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The New York Sun

Some of the busiest New Yorkers this season are the 100 children with roles in the New York City Ballet production of “The Nutcracker.”

The children, students at the School of American Ballet, appear in 45 performances between November 24 and December 30, right alongside star dancers from the company. On average, they have four performances a week in the 54-year-old George Balanchine production, playing snowflakes, candy canes, and flowers.

One of the child stars of the production is Margot Pitts, 8, who plays Marie. Her mother reports that Margot, a third-grader at Spence, is juggling homework with the responsibilities of her role just fine. Her primary distraction — and one she shares with other girls in the cast — is a crush on the boy who plays the Nutcracker and the Prince, Harrison Coll, 12.

Is William Lese, who plays a child in the first act, slacking off at school? “Not really. I have a few days off every week.,” he said. “It’s a little tricky on Wednesdays because school ends at 4 and I have to be here at 4.”

William is happy to be doing what he loves. “I like creating things. I like performing,” he said. His favorite school subject is writing.

The School of American Ballet students had the spotlight Saturday at the ballet’s annual family benefit, a party following the matinee performance. Eager young fans surrounded the child dancers, asking for autographs and tugging at their costumes.

The party, which raised a $630,000 for the ballet’s educational programs, is an important holiday tradition for New York families. Some children never age out of it. “I love it,” Loren Herbert, 18, said. “I’ve been coming since I was 2.”

With such a range of ages attending the event, fashion varied dramatically. One guest provided a summary: “Under the age of 5, it’s all about pouffy dresses and bows,” Becky Van Dercook, 12, said. “Ages 5–9, you see more pants, skirts, and matching sweaters and cardigans. At age 12, dress gets funky.”

And what was she wearing? Leggings and UGG boots. “I have a party after this” — a bat mitzvah downtown — “and wanted to wear something easy,” she said.

agordon@nysun.com


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