Southern California Ballet to present ‘The Nutcracker’ in Poway

“The Nutcracker” ballet has become a beloved holiday tradition for many, which can be seen in Poway next weekend.

Southern California Ballet will be presenting the Christmas classic in three public performances at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road.

Tickets are $30-$70. They can be purchased at southerncaliforniaballet.org.

For those not familiar with the plot, the ballet that is set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, begins at a Christmas party in 1892, when Dr. and Mrs. Stahlbaum welcome guests to their home. They include Herr Drosselmeyer, who brings his life-size dolls to entertain the children and a special nutcracker for his goddaughter, Clara.

That night, once all the guests have left, Herr Drosselmeyer uses magic to lead Clara into a world of fantasy that brings her nutcracker prince to life. Together, Clara and her prince go on a journey to the Land of Snow and eventually to the Kingdom of Sweets where at the Sugar Plum Palace an assortment of entertainments are presented.

More than 100 dancers from Southern California Ballet will be joined by guest artists Junna Ige, former principal dancer of Ballet de Monterrey, as the Sugarplum Fairy; Luis Gonzalez, formerly with the Joffrey Ballet, Orlando Ballet and Sarasota Ballet, as the Sugarplum Cavalier; and Victor Wisehart, faculty member of Chance2Dance in Florida, as the Snow Cavalier.

Wisehart will be pairing with Southern California Ballet dancers cast as the Snow Queen. They include Abrielle Manalo, a 17-year-old Del Norte High senior; and Kate Valente, a 17-year-old Rancho Bernardo High senior.

“I did Snow Queen last year and this year I will have a different cavalier and will be going into rehearsals with more preparation,” Manalo said. “I’m glad to know what to expect and have those connections from last year.”

Because Manalo and Valente will only rehearse with Wisehart a few days before their performances, they are learning the choreography by working with some of the boys in the SCB Company.

“It’s a cool experience to partner with my peers, the boys in the company, because I can’t do (the dance) without a partner,” Manalo said. “It will be a different feeling with the guest partner in how he lifts me and forms a connection.”

Manalo, who will be the Snow Queen in the Dec. 21 show, said it is the biggest role she has danced in addition to the White Rabbit during last year’s production of “Alice in Wonderland.”

She will be dancing several other parts in the various Nutcracker performances. They include being a soldier doll, Snow Corps, a flower soloist and Mirliton. When SCB presents its outreach shows for local elementary students next Thursday and Friday, she will be the Sugarplum Fairy.

This is Valente’s first time cast as the Snow Queen, which she will be performing in the 7 p.m. Dec. 20 show.

“A lot of older girls who I looked up to were Snow Queen, so it is an honor to be one of the people that younger girls will now look up to,” Valente said.

While Valente has done partner work during summer intensives and at SCB, the big lifts required for the Snow Queen are new to her.

“I have the knowledge of how to put the steps together, but it is nerve wracking to do the big lifts because I have never done them before,” Valente said.

She has performed big roles before. In 2021, Valente was Clara.

“I put Snow Queen up there with Clara because each gets a personal bow, so I feel they are equal,” Valente said.

As for other roles she will have in this year’s Nutcracker, they are the drummer doll named Viviandre in the party scene, Snow Corps, Mirliton, Spanish and lead flower (orchid).

Both Manalo and Valente are Southern California Ballet Company dancers, which has them training in the Carmel Mountain Ranch studio six days a week and at least 15 hours per week.

Manalo started in ballet at age 3 when her family lived in Singapore. She joined Southern California Ballet in 2014 after her family moved to San Diego.

“I love how I have to work hard every single day in order to keep improving,” Manalo said when asked what she enjoys about ballet. “I love performing on stage and get satisfaction from making people smile and when I hear the applause after I finish dancing.”

As for her favorite part of “The Nutcracker,” Manalo said it is watching whoever is the Sugarplum Fairy doing the pas de deux (partner dance) “because the music is so emotional. It’s just amazing.”

Valente also started in dance at age 3 by taking classes at a local recreation center. She joined SCB 11 years ago.

“I like how I can just focus on ballet and not on anything else (when dancing),” Valente said. “I put my mind into the work that I am doing because I cannot be in the background thinking of anything else.”

It is the variety of roles she has had in The Nutcracker that Valente said is her favorite aspect.

“I like how you don’t get the same roles every year, so you can explore as you go up the levels,” Valente said. “Now that I’m more advanced, I can do a deep dive into the characters. For example, in the Land of Sweets I get to have different personalities.”

Despite the many hours Manalo has spent training over the past several years, she does not plan on pursuing dance as a career.

“I am hoping to go to college and study computer science and business management,” Manalo said. “I would like to be a project manager in IT (information technology), but still dance every now and then.”

In contrast, Valente said she is interested in pursuing a career in dance or a dance-related field.

“I would like to continue dancing in the future,” she said. “If I go to college, I want to study ballet and kinesiology so I can be a physical therapist for dancers. Or I could join a professional company.”

Valente said she is researching her options, to see if she wants to go straight to college after graduation or audition for a professional ballet company.