PHOTOS BY MARIE ORTIZ Jennifer M. Church, artistic director of the Academy of Dance Arts in Red Bank, directs the troupe during rehearsal for The Nutcracker.
The Academy of Dance Arts studio, home of the Company of Dance Arts (CODA), was bustling on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was the first dress rehearsal for The Nutcracker, a ballet that was not very well received when it premiered on Dec. 17, 1892, but has become one of the most popular ballets today.
The 15-year-old pre-professional Company of Dance Arts mounts a production of The Nutcracker every year. The dancers are chosen at open auditions, which over the years have become more and more competitive, and every artistic detail receives careful attention. From the costumes, sets and props to the casting of the lead Sugarplum Fairy and the tiniest Mini-Mouse, the artistic staff, directed by Jennifer M. Church, oversees it all.
The dance studio, located on Chestnut Street, Red Bank, was alive with adorable little mice, colorful toy soldiers and graceful teenage girls with splayed feet in ballet slippers and toe shoes.
Mothers were everywhere, providing refreshments, helping backstage, coaxing small children into their costumes, helping them with their makeup and calming their nerves.
Jay Barrett of New York dances the part of the Nutcracker and Kate Brogan, 12, of Little Silver dances the part of Clara during rehearsal on Saturday.
"The older girls do their own makeup," said Susan Cella of Marlboro, whose two daughters, ages 12 and 13, are in this production of The Nutcracker.
"This is our eighth Nutcracker," Cella said. "It takes a tremendous amount of work."
One of the dancers, Julie Polera, 15, from Holmdel, entered the room, where the mothers were discussing how their children have become friends with one another, as have many of the parents.
"This is my sixth Nutcracker. Last year I played Clara. I’ve been everything from a mini-mouse to a soldier," Julie said.
Lauren Ruggiero, 14, of Shrewsbury rehearses for her mouse solo in the upcoming production of “The Nutcracker.”
"We get to see these kids progressing," Cella said, while the six or seven mothers in the room agreed. "We all cry when we see them perform. We’re like a family here. We really are."
Linda Symos, who is a volunteer board member and a mother, added, "We have a cast of 140, and about 90 percent of the parents pitch in. Besides working backstage, they bake, bring food, sell chances before the production, whatever needs to be done."
But, Symos added, "Sixty percent of our audience is made up of the general public who, year after year, begin to order tickets during the summer."
Many of the children performing in the Christmas ballet are from local towns. Lauren Ruggiero, 14, plays the Snow Queen and Mouse Doll. A Shrewsbury resident, she has been dancing at the academy since she was 10 years old.
"She’s go-ing to play Emerald and Cinderella in the next production," Symos said. "They learn more than one part, so there is always a backup."
Ruggiero attends Red Bank Re-gional High School and practices almost every day from 5-9 p.m.
"It’s a lot of fun," the young ballerina said.
Jamie Gillick of Middletown will share the role of Snow Queen with Lauren. The role of the Dew Drop Fairy will be shared by three Middletown dancers: Erin Gallagher, 14; Kristina Mykytiuk, 17; and Vanessa Pagliuca, 17. Kate Brogan of Little Silver and Jessica Lomauro of Ocean Township will share the role of Clara.
Brogan, 12, has been taking lessons at the academy since she was 3 years old. She was dancing the part of Clara, the lead children’s role, during the rehearsal of the first act. Her partner, Jay Barrett, who plays the Nutcracker, is from New York City.
"Some of the dancers are hired, especially if they don’t have someone who is ready," Symos explained.
The adults in the production include Joe Minnella, a noted Red Bank performer. He plays Clara’s father, and his wife plays the grandmother. And dancing the role of Cavalier for a third season with CODA is Tyler Ingram of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Daniel Catanach of Catanach Ballet Theater, New York, returns as Herr Drosselmeyer. Other guest artists from Pennsylvania and New York also will perform.
The students work very hard, according to Cella.
"Other kids don’t understand the commitment here," she said. "They don’t understand that these kids give up parties and other stuff to practice."
The corps de ballet is the intermediate and advanced level.
"The average age of a corps member is 14," Symos said. "They train 15 to 20 hours a week in technique classes, and during production there is an additional 10 hours of rehearsals each week of production."
Production starts the first week in October and runs for eight to 10 weeks including Saturdays and Sundays, she added.
Training does not stop in the summer, Church said.
"To make it to this level in this company, training continues with summer intensives, often four to seven weeks of all-day classes Monday through Saturday," she said. "Even the children’s roles are becoming more competitive.
"When the children are little, it’s mostly fun, but with the teen-agers it’s work," Church added. "They have to start and stop again and again. You have to love it to work that hard and to spend so much time training. They have to want to do it right, and they have to be able to take corrections."
To excel in this art form takes iron discipline and dedication, according to Church, who noted that some students go on to dance careers and others do it just for the fun of it.
But for all the students, Church said, "There is a grace to how they move."
Judging by the children who were rehearsing on Saturday, the expressive dancers in training are also learning about friendship and healthy competition in addition to maintaining poise and a beautiful carriage.
Performances are at the Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, at 3 p.m. Dec. 9 and 10 and at the Strand Theater, Fourth and Clifton avenues, Lakewood, at 3 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17. Tickets are $10, $18 and $26, with a $4 discount for seniors and children under 12.
Tickets can be purchased at half price with a student ID, cash only, 15 minutes before curtain time.
Tickets may be purchased using a major credit card by calling (732) 842-4015 or by calling the Count Basie Theatre or Strand Theater box office.