Moorpark Ballet to Perform 'Nutcracker' in Thousand Oaks

For a lot of people, the holiday season just isn't complete without seeing the The Nutcracker. The ballet that has been a seasonal favorite for more than a century will be staged by the Moorpark Civic Ballet and Theatre Company at the Thousand Oaks Civic Center Friday and Saturday.

In a production with more than 100 performers, Elizabeth Sutton, 15, plays Clara, the little Victorian girl who gets a nutcracker doll for Christmas. Sutton has danced the role for three years.

Clara is a particularly difficult role for a young dancer.

"I've had to build a lot of stamina for this role since Clara is the main role," Sutton said. "She is dancing the entire show. Basically, every scene, I have to dance en pointe, which takes a lot of energy."

Pam Rossi is again directing the show. Rossi operates Moorpark Civic Ballet and Dance Theatre and has been a fixture in Moorpark with her dance school, Dance Ten.

This year, Rossi said she is excited about the production because it has several members of dancing families in it.

"We've got mother and dad dancers onstage," she said. "They play the parents' scene and they've got a daughter who is playing the doll. We've got three sisters who dance together and another pair of sisters who are in the show."

Rossi said she thinks the experience of families performing together is particularly good for the fathers.

"They are looking at this with appreciation of their sons or their daughters and realize how hard it is," she said. "They don't sit there and watch their kids in class, so they are actually in rehearsal with them and have a greater appreciation for the dancer, I think. I tried to do this (cast family members in the show) because it keeps families together."

But it's not just fathers who might not realize what the dancers go through. Sutton said ballet looks effortless and graceful to the audience but it is actually a lot of hard work. If you sit close enough to the stage, you can hear the wooden toe shoes constantly working the stage floor. A dancer's feet show the strain of hard work and Sutton's are no different despite layers of protection.

"I have a lot of blisters on the sides of my feet by my pinky," said Sutton. "There are these toe gels that I use and then I put a toe pad over it. Then I put these corn pads on and then my tights over that. It works pretty well."

But as a sophomore at Moorpark High School, Sutton's hardest job is keeping up with schoolwork.

"Finding time for school is really hard," she said. "I just can't procrastinate because I have three to four hours of dance after school from about 5:30 p.m. to about 9:30 p.m. I have to get home right from school and I start my homework right away. I try to finish it but if I don't finish it, I come home after rehearsal and finish it then."

Sutton hopes to become a professional dancer after she attends college. Even though she shines in ballet, her favorite type of dance is contemporary, one of the many forms of dance that she has studied.

But right now, Sutton's mind is focused on one ballet role.

"Even though it is a lot of hard work, playing Clara is really a great opportunity. I am so honored to be in (The Nutcracker) because it helps me grow as a dancer and learn more about what I love."

Performances are 7 p.m. on December 17 and 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. December 18. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and the Arts Plaza box office for $22 and $26.