Westside Ballet Presents Classic ‘The Nutcracker’

Westside Ballet of Santa Monica, in its fifth year of partnering with the Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra, announces its 45th season of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker.”

Of the 80 student dancers at Westside, 20 are Pacific Palisades residents or attend school in the Palisades.

Returning for her third season, Sugar Plum Fairy guest artist is Westside Ballet alumna Joy Womack, who was the first American female to be invited to dance under contract with the Bolshoi Ballet. Today she is a principal dancer with the Kremlin Ballet Theater in Moscow.

Alternating in that role is Mirabelle Weinbach, a Palisadian and a sophomore at Brentwood School. Weinbach has been a member of the Nutcracker cast for eight years.

This production features Stefan Goy, a sophomore at Palisades High School, dancing as the Nutcracker who fights King Mouse. Goy was introduced to ballroom dancing in elementary school and began studying ballet at Westside when he was 12. He was a competitive fencer for several years, studying at L.A. International Fencing Center.

Milly Davies, a senior at PaliHi, was once Clara and this year her sister Sofia has that role. “I marvel at our beautiful dancers, whose artistry transcends their youth,” says Martine Harley, Westside Ballet of Santa Monica artistic director, noting that special effects include a growing Christmas tree, a firing cannon and falling snow.