By: Stacey Gorski
For Alexa Caputo of Monmouth Junction, becoming a ballerina runs in the family. Her cousin is a professional dancer, and her sister was in ballet school for many years.
At the ripe old age of 7, Alexa remembers seeing a number of their performances.
For Meghan Campbell, 13, of Kendall Park, her interest in ballet began as a little girl mesmerized by the costumes.
"The dances were pretty and all, but I really liked the costumes," Meghan said.
For Caroline Bhandari, 10, who moved from Indonesia to Kendall Park five years ago, ballet has provided a lasting connection between her former home and New Jersey.
"Things were different in Indonesia, but the ballet lessons are the same," she said.
No matter where they have been and how they were motivated to start, the ballet worlds of Alexa, Meghan and Caroline have intersected with each other and the dancing experiences of fellow South Brunswick residents Vivian He, 10, of Dayton and Meagan Woods, 14, of Kendall Park.
The five girls make the South Brunswick contingent that is performing with the American Repertory Ballet’s Princeton Ballet School production of "The Nutcracker."
In the past month, they have performed in a series of shows at both McCarter Theatre in Princeton and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. This weekend, they will be bringing their act to the State Theatre in New Brunswick. Shows are on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Despite the different skill levels among the five dancers, none have been intimidated by the size of the venues or their appearance on stage alongside professional ballerinas.
"I really am not that nervous," said Meghan, who plays a polichinelle, which means clown. "There are always a lot of people, but my part is just fun, it’s not too complicated. The steps are a lot of jumping."
Even the youngest of the dancers has no fear about being on stage. "I get to scare everybody (on stage)," said Alexa. "I jump out of a cupcake and put my hands behind my ears, and then everybody runs away. It’s easy."
At this point, the girls have put in a multitude of hours practicing and performing. Auditions for the show started in October, and they have been practicing and performing ever since.
"At first we just practiced with our own group, so when it finally gets on stage and you see the whole show unfold, it is really exhilarating," said Meagan, who plays a Russian dancer. In her seventh year of lessons at the ballet school, Meagan is the veteran of the group.
"I just really enjoy it. It’s challenging," Meagan said.
While they all may have started for different reasons and have been involved with dancing for anywhere from one to seven years, most of the girls are chasing the same dream.
"I am planning to stick with ballet for a long time," said Caroline. "I have thought about being a lot of different things when I grow up, but I really would like to be a professional ballerina."
To see the girls’ performances this weekend, contact the State Theatre box office at (732) 246-7469.