For 7-year-old Ava Babbist, Saturday marked her first audition, but she tried not to let her nerves get the better of her.
“I was kind of nervous, and kind of excited,” Babbist said. “It was very hard, but I tried to memorize the positions.”
One of the most popular ballets, “The Nutcracker” can be a difficult production to put together. For José Mateo Ballet Theatre’s director of communications, Madison Sweeney, it is Mateo’s emphasis on diversity that sets his performances apart.
“Really the most unique thing is the fact that we have such a diverse cast,” Sweeney said. “Performing at the Strand Theatre and in a diverse community is really big. For most of the things in José’s Nutcracker, I feel like it’s centered around the magic and how we can create magic in each individual, whether it’s their first time seeing ‘The Nutcracker’ or their 101st time seeing ‘The Nutcracker.’”
Jodie Pemberton, a Cambridge resident and former ballet dancer , brought her daughter Aria to auditions because of Mateo’s reputation in the Cambridge community.
“We came to José Mateo because Aria has always been interested in ballet,” Pemberton said. “I come from a ballet background, and he has a really positive reputation in our city.”
Most parents felt the same. Grant Calderwood brought his 7-year-old daughter, Quitterie, out for similar reasons.
“We chose José Mateo because they have a wide variety of programming and they’re well integrated with the community in Cambridge and in Boston,” he said.
With roles ranging from snowflakes to Mother Ginger’s children, there are plenty of characters for younger dancers — however one role emerged as an unlikely favorite among those auditioning.
“I kind of want to be a rat,” Quitterie said when asked what her dream role would be. “I think a rat just is fun because it makes you laugh a lot. Like when they go out looking for the rats, and they come out and then they hide, and it’s really fun.”
With Mateo’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” sometimes featuring as many as 100 child performers alongside professional dancers, the rehearsal process can be a chaotic one.
“It’s very intense, and it’s very hard work. It takes a village to pull this all together,” Sweeney said.
However, to Sweeney, that hard work is always worth it in the end.
“It’s a huge cast with the skeleton crew, and like it’s all about creating community and working together, and I think that we should get more people coming to the show because it’s a really magical experience.”
José Mateo’s production of “The Nutcracker” will run from Dec. 5-20 at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester.
Gitana Savage can be reached at gitana.savage@globe.com. Follow her on X @gitana_savage.
