The Utah Children's Nutcracker ballet benefits JDCHS

Courtesy photo/Utah Artists School of Ballet

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Mother Ginger has a new costume this year in the Utah Artists School of Ballet presentation of the Nutcracker. 

DRAPER – For the past 25 years the Utah Artists School of Ballet has been presenting the Nutcracker in Utah.

Dancers do not audition, everyone is in the Nutcracker. "All the dancers know that they will have an opportunity to dance solos when they are in Company Class," said Barbara Olsen, teacher and owner of the school.

This play, besides being a professional and fun performance, has also been serving as a fundraiser for the Juan Diego Catholic High School for the last 10 years.

"Hundreds of children have participated from Juan Diego," said Olsen, adding that students from Saint John the Baptist and Blessed Sacrament schools also participate, and many faculty members are involved as well. Over the years the choreography for one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballets has stayed almost the same, although improvements have been made. The sets come every year from Georgia and Maryland. This year, sharp-eyed playgoers may notice that Mother Ginger has a new costume. The Mother Ginger character appears in the ballet’s second act, which is set in the Land of Sweets. As Mother Ginger comes on stage, her children emerge from under her skirt to dance.

"The new Mother Ginger costume "should be spectacular," said Olsen, who has invested hours and hours constructing the dress. It required 15 yards of fabric and a skirt more than 20 feet wide. The costume will be worn by Olsen’s husband, who traditionally plays the role of Mother Ginger.

The youngest children portray mice and cookies, who are very unpredictable. Dolls, angels, taffy, peppermint sticks, and Gingerells also come out from under Mother Ginger’s huge skirt.

Each year for the play, a guest artist is hired to dance the main roles of the Nutcracker Prince, Cavalier and Arabian Prince.

The Nutcracker has become a tradition for the Olsens and for many other families.

"Our family has loved the play," Olsen said. "My three daughters have participated and now my grandkids participate, too."

The cast numbers 175 people; the youngest participants are younger than 3.

"The children absolutely love it because they relate to it," Olsen said.

Families from all over Utah have attended to the play and everyone is welcome.

"We sure love it," said Jane Steward, a Saint John the Baptist parishioner who has attended the Nutcracker for the past five years.