Students from 25 schools to take stage when 'Nutcracker' opens in Lafayette

Starring in “The Nutcracker” has been a dream for Grace Hebert and Olivia Devey and now the 13-year-olds will take center stage as Clara when the ballet opens this month.

"When I saw my first 'Nutcracker' it was in Canada and I thought it was the coolest thing ever," Olivia said. "Right when I got home I was like, 'Mom, I want to do this.' It was a really life-changing thing to watch."

Both girls have been dancing since they were 2 years old and have performed in the Lafayette Ballet Theatre's “Nutcracker” since they were 8 years old.

"I like learning new things and pushing yourself to your limit and meeting new people," Grace said. "(It's challenging) learning new steps and remembering all of the counts. And (with Clara) you also have to act and play the part as a young child."

They’ve worked their way up in technical difficulty starting as angels, who perform on stage with the sugar plum fairies. From there, student dancers progress to roles with more steps, choreography and responsibilities like performing as soldiers or Polichinelles.

"It's just so much fun to see them take the foundational roles as a solider or angel and then be able to build and continue to build," said Shannon Heath, who is the co-artistic director of the Lafayette Ballet Theatre with her sister Mitzi Heath.

Grace and Olivia are just two of the 150 student dancers from 25 different schools across Acadiana who will take the stage on Dec. 10 and 11 at the Heymann Center.

The student dancers auditioned the weekend after Labor Day.

Grace, who's homeschooled, and Olivia, who attends St. Pius Catholic School, waited for the casting email. When they realized they'd been cast as Clara, they both said they screamed with joy.

Since then, it’s been weeks of staging and learning steps. In total, the dancers will have 12 weeks of rehearsal before the curtain opens to a full crowd.

"The dancers do such a good job because its' part of the training to make it look effortless, to make it look beautiful," Shannon Heath said.

The students will be joined on stage by professional ballet dancers. This year’s performance includes a dancer from the Miami City Ballet, a first for Lafayette’s show.

Working with professionals gives the student dancers an opportunity to see a different skill level than what they might be used to. It's educational and inspiring, Heath said.

"They bring so much to the community as far as what they display on stage," she said. "It's just so entertaining and so breathtaking and beautiful, not only the athleticism but what they bring to our community's youth."

And when the artists arrive, the mood at rehearsal shifts.

"When the guest artists come, everyone's eyes are lighter, everyone is working so much harder," she said. "Just seeing them, the opportunity to be with them and dance on stage with them. The spirit goes way up."

This will be the 22nd year The Lafayette Ballet Theatre has put on "The Nutcracker." It's become a tradition for families to attend, which is an honor and blessing, Heath said.

It's the perfect introduction to the performing arts, she said. It's kid-friendly and the synopsis is in the playbill making it easy to follow along.

"It's got some romance. It has breathtaking beauty," Heath said. "It's got these moments where you find that it can take your breath away. And then for the boys, there are rats, and there are swordfights and there are cannons that blow.

"'The Nutcracker' really has something for everybody."

Tickets can be bought online from the Lafayette Ballet Theatre. There also is an auction of nutcracker figurines that are hand-painted by local artists. The wooden figurines can be viewed and bid on starting Dec. 4 at www.32auctions.com/2022LBTNutcrackerAuction.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette Ballet's 'Nutcracker' 2022 brings 150 students to stage