ABT Gillespie School and annual “Nutcracker” turn 10

This season’s production of “The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 11-21.

Rosey and Mabel Francis have been students at the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School for five years now, but it’s the first time the young sisters are performing in the annual “Nutcracker” together. And they’re pumped.     

“Oh my gosh, I’m so excited,” said Rosey, 13. “We were really hoping that we got one year in it together before I was too tall, and I’m really glad we got that, especially in these roles where we actually get to interact with each other.”

Mabel agrees. 

“Doing this with my sister is such a privilege,” said Mabel, 10. “Especially because of her being the main role and me being one of the main supporting roles. And we get to interact a lot. And I feel like it’s really fun to be able to do that with her.”

Rosey is playing Clara this year, which she understudied for last year, and Mabel is playing the Little Mouse.

“Yeah, I think it’s really fun because the Little Mouse is kind of like me in real life because it’s really mischievous and kind of naughty at times, but everyone loves it all the same.” 

The ABT Gillespie School, which opened in September 2015, follows American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum. Part of the education includes giving students the chance to perform alongside professional ballet dancers, as in the ABT’s annual production of “The Nutcracker,” which also is in its 10th year at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. This season’s production runs Dec. 11-21.

“To be on stage with those incredible professionals working at the very top level of technique and artistry … it’s something that is irreplaceable,” said Susan Brooker, artistic director of the ABT Gillespie School.

There are 49 students performing this year and more than 100 dancers in the production total.

The school offers classes for children as young as 3 and up to 18. Students performing in “The Nutcracker” range in age from about 10 to 13, Brooker said. Along with ability, height plays a role in casting. 

“One can have very strong dancers in that 12 or 13 age group, but if they look too mature for the role or a little bit too tall or perhaps don’t fit in with the casting of the ABT dancers … they may not be cast in certain roles,” she said.  

Production staff from American Ballet Theatre come to the Segerstrom Center each September to start “The Nutcracker” audition process with students. 

“It is not said that just because they are students of the Gillespie School, they will be cast,” Brooker said. “They may be a little bit too young and immature, they may be of the right age but not quite mature enough and they may be too tall for let’s say their age group and technical ability … so there are all sorts of different considerations when casting children.”

Whether students dance in the show or not, students have many other opportunities to dance with professionals. Gillespie students have participated in professional company productions, including American Ballet Theatre’s “Sleeping Beauty,” “Harlequinade,” “Whipped Cream,” “Of Love and Rage,” “Woolf Works,” “The Winter’s Tale” and “Giselle.” 

Gillespie School students have danced or are now dancing in professional companies, including Oklahoma City Ballet Studio Company, Kansas City Ballet 2nd Company, Dutch National Ballet, Richmond Ballet, New Orleans Ballet Theater, Nevada Ballet Theatre and more.

Kellan Hayag, who’s now a second company dancer with Oklahoma City Ballet, said he was part of the inaugural year of the ABT Gillespie School in 2015. He trained there up until December 2022 when he headed to New York to continue his training at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. He performed with the ABT “Nutcracker” from 2015 to 2019, playing all the child principal roles. He played the Little Mouse, Fritz and the Young Nutcracker Prince. 

“It was a pleasure getting to play each role as I grew older year after year,” he said. “I remember feeling so inspired getting to see the professional company dancers doing what I had dreamed of for a living. It really was so euphoric sharing the stage with the professionals because it only confirmed that I knew I was on the right track to my hopes and dreams.”

He said the ABT Gillespie School established the foundation of all the technique and artistic development he carries into his professional life. 

“I also hold the principles and values I’ve been taught that served me so well over the course of my journey that I still abide to this day,” he said. 

Four of the current ABT “Nutcracker” dancers performed in the show through the school as children.

Tyler Maloney, who was at the school for four years, in ABT for 10 years and in ABT Studio Company for two years, is performing as the adult Nutcracker Prince in this year’s show. He also danced in the show as a child.

“As a child, dancing in ‘The Nutcracker’ was my first professional experience and my first time working alongside ABT dancers,” he said. “I remember being so inspired seeing these professionals, whom I had idolized for years, rehearsing and performing up close. At that time, it taught me so much about how to conduct myself professionally and understand the level of excellence required of me.

“I’m still so inspired by this ballet. The music is so ingrained in my memory from so many years in the studio, and I still get goosebumps when I see certain scenes. I can vividly remember how so many members of the original cast performed these roles, and I always try to channel them when I’m performing and continue to carry the excellence of this production. It’s also very rewarding to work with the current cast of young Nutcrackers and Claras and to share with them all the knowledge and details that were given to us.”

By Jessica Peralta 

Author: Marketing and Event Coordinator