‘The Nutcracker’ is one of the most anticipated events each winter at John Carroll, bringing excitement and holiday spirit to both the dancers and their audiences.

There were three performances, and the Friday show and Saturday matinée were both sold out from presale purchases.

Every year, without fail, The Nutcracker leaves the crowd in amazement. The choreography branches into new directions each year, and the performance grows in both creativity and talent.

The Nutcracker follows the story of a girl named Clara who receives a Nutcracker as a gift on Christmas Eve. Clara dreams of worlds with candy canes and sugar plums. This lead role was played by senior Leah Ruffatt.

The ballet ended with a jazz routine performed by all of the members of the JC Dance Program who were wearing festive Christmas outfits. The seniors had their own routine and celebration in commemoration of their final Nutcracker performance.

Sophomore Gabby Loretani played the Tea Queen, and she highlighted that the show continues to evolve. “Each year the choreography and performance get bigger and better from the last.”  Gabby hoped the crowd’s biggest takeaway was how wonderful it was to witness a beautiful performance.

College Preparatory Dance Program Director Laura Ward-Moran explained that the advanced level of dancers that the college preparatory program has developed in the past few years is demonstrated by how the choreography matches their dance abilities. The dancers’ strengths were shown on stage in this year’s performance of The Nutcracker.

The dancers and production team put in countless hours of rehearsal to ensure that the audience experienced the magic of The Nutcracker. The beauty of the show was felt by everyone in the theater, whether they were familiar with the story or were seeing it for the first time.

Mrs. Ward-Moran hopes the crowd understood the effort that went into making the show happen. She said, “[I hope] that they feel as though it was an experience they will cherish with their families as part of the Christmas and holiday season.”

There were many changes in costumes and props, but the entire dance crew hoped the most noticeable change was how different the actual performance felt. Every year, the show aims to improve on the previous year’s performance.

New elements and surprises were introduced to make each scene fresh and exciting for both new and returning audiences. Mrs. Ward-Moran explained that they kept the changes subtle in order to honor the original storyline.