As the holiday season comes to a close, so does the beloved performance of the classic Christmas story, The Nutcracker. Annually, The Nutcracker is performed throughout December by talented dancers from the Dayton Ballet at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, two of whom are currently students at Tippecanoe High School. Ava McKinney and Molly Dunn are veteran dancers of The Nutcracker, and this year have once again put on a beautiful performance.

Due to its great popularity, The Nutcracker is a performance that requires extensive training and practice from each dancer on stage. McKinney and Dunn spent months preparing before the show. McKinney, a Snowflake, Flower, and Marzipan Candy in this year's production, has been dancing since she was only four. After watching The Nutcracker at six, she knew she wanted to be on stage. After turning twelve in 2017, she auditioned for The Nutcracker and performed as a soldier that year. Since then, she has performed in seven Nutcracker productions through Dayton Ballet’s pre-professional company. Dunn, similarly, has been dancing since a very young age. This year, she was a Snowflake, Sugar Candied Flower, and Chinese tea. As a third-generation Dayton Ballet student, Dunn has been following in her family’s talented footsteps. While growing up and watching her grandfather perform The Nutcracker on stage, Molly has been a ballerina since she was three years old and a member of The Dayton Ballet for fourteen years now, this year being her seventh in The Nutcracker as well.

Preparations for The Nutcracker begin as early as auditions in August and casting in September. From November until the last show, the girls rehearse almost day and night. On the weekends, dancers were given the opportunity to take professional company class as early as 10 a.m. and rehearse until 5 p.m. During the month of December, the Ballet rehearsals move to the stage at the Schuster Center, sometimes ranging from six hours or more nightly. 

The girls have fond memories of The Nutcracker even before they were featured in it, and for them, the ballet means more to them than just the rehearsals and preparations. In an interview, Dunn explained, “From the very beginning, when I went to watch, I would always ask my grandma and grandpa if we could sit up front to listen to the pointe shoes hit the ground. I would wear a cute little dress, curl my hair, and go to The Golden Nugget for lunch or dinner.” McKinney shares similar stories of nostalgia being part of her love for the Nutcracker and the spirit the season brings.

Although they are met with a certain amount of rehearsals, preparation, and nights upon nights of traveling from Tipp City to Dayton and back, the girls both appreciate The Nutcracker and hold the experience year after year close to their hearts. When asked what her favorite part of the experience was, McKinney said, “Being a part of a beloved tradition that brings families together is an amazing experience. Looking back, I can remember how I dreamed of dancing these roles when I was little, and here I am now, living out those dreams. It is crazy to think I might be a part of what inspires a young dancer today.”

Both McKinney and Dunn, who were inducted into the National Honor Society at Tippecanoe High School in 2022, somehow manage to balance both school and their dedication to dance yearly in order to do what they love. The girls have worked hard throughout the year to create a beautiful performance for those in Dayton and others who travel to the Schuster Center yearly for the magic that is The Nutcracker. Their commitment to Dance is inspiring and an impressive representation of the Tipp City students who go above and beyond to reach their dreams.