- December 20, 2024
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Baylee Rogan, Mira Khanna and Eris Potts are all in their senior years of high school. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Baylee Rogan plays the role of the Dew Drop Fairy in Ormond Ballet's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Baylee Rogan, a student at Flagler Palm Coast High School, will play the role of the Dew Drop Fairy in Ormond Ballet's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Eris Potts will play the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ormond Ballet's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Eris Potts, a student at Seabreeze High School, will play the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ormond Ballet's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Mira Khanna will play the role of Snow Queen in Ormond Ballet's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Mira Khanna, a student at Father Lopez High School, will play the role of Snow Queen in Ormond Ballet's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Baylee Rogan, Mira Khanna and Eris Potts have soloist roles in Ormond Ballet's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Emma Doster, who plays Fritz, runs away from Ellen Svajko, who plays Clara, Party Girls Lucy Martin and Nora Martin, and Emmett Persico, look on. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Emma Doster, as Fritz, holds on to the Nutcracker doll as Ellen Svajko, as Clara, demands it back. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Emma Doster, as Fritz, and Ellen Svajko, as Clara, fight over the Nutcracker doll. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Maggie O'Brien, as Aunt Drosselmeyer, tells Ellen Svajko, as Clara, that she will fix the Nutcracker doll. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Party Girls Mia Esguerra, Joselyn Stoy, Zsanett Szabo, Caroline Jones, Emma Doster (as Fritz), Angelica Butakova, Faith Pfeiffer, Lucy Martin, and Nora Martin surround Ellen Svajko, who plays Clara in "The Nutcracker". Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ellen Svajko, as Clara, leads the Party Girls in their second dance. Party Girls pictured are Caroline Jones, Lucy Martin, Nora Martin, Emma Doster as Fritz, Nieanah Davis, Zsanett Szabo, Faith Pfeiffer and Kaysha Patel. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Sugar Plum Fairy. Snow Queen. Dew Drop Fairy
Three prominent roles in "The Nutcracker," and ones that Ormond Ballet has filled with its senior dancers for the school's upcoming production of the traditional holiday ballet, to be held at the News-Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24. The show will star Ellen Svajko as Clara and Emmett Persico as the Nutcracker.
High School seniors Eris Potts, Mira Khanna and Baylee Rogan will play the soloist roles. Ormond Ballet Artistic Director Michelle Boutros said they achieved the roles because they are three of the strongest dancers in the school
"It's not just their physical gift, it's their mindset," Boutros said. "Even academically, we have overachievers in all three of them."
Potts has been dancing since she was 2 years old. She's always looked up to the older girls and the roles they got to play in productions. When Ormond Ballet started putting on "The Nutcracker" in 2021, she hoped to one day get the role of Sugar Plum Fairy.
And now the Seabreeze High School senior has, and she's aiming to bring her artistic perspective to the role.
"Now that I'm playing it, it's so surreal and I'm really excited to finally be able to do that this year," Potts said.
Khanna, a senior at Father Lopez Catholic High School, has always wanted to play the role of Snow Queen in "The Nutcracker." She watched Potts perform it last year, and Khanna, who has been dancing since she was 3, has played several roles in the ballet over the years, working her way up to Snow Queen.
Last year, she played the role of Dew Drop Fairy, and that taught her the importance of putting the work in as a soloist, she said.
"Gaining the confidence in that last year has definitely helped me this year to be able to do more," Khanna said.
Rogan said it's been fun to play the role of Dew Drop Fairy. A senior at Flagler Palm Coast High School, this is the first time she leads a scene during a ballet, she said.
"When you're in a core, you can rely on your fellow dancers, but when you're in a soloist position, you're only as good as the work you put into it," Rogan said, who has been dancing since she was 2.
She loves the music for her solo too — the "Waltz of the Flowers." And every time she runs the number during rehearsal, she gets stronger, Rogan said.
Boutros has known Potts and Khanna since 2018, and Rogan since 2021. It's been a privilege, she said, to see the three dancers grow up, and she appreciates their leadership in the school.
"People look up to them." Boutros said. "They have good attitudes. They make good choices. They're respectful."
And the roles they are playing are not easy. Sugar Plum Fairy in particular, Boutros said, is very isolating.
"She has to sit out and conserve because it's 12-15 minutes of just all out war, but looking beautiful at the same time," she said. "... This is just beyond taxing."
Nostalgia and Christmastime are two things that come to mind for the dancers when they think of "The Nutcracker."
"Every major ballet company, they do the Nutcracker," Boutros said.
The dancers rehearse five to six days a week. But that's what it takes to have a good production, Khanna said.
"That's just part of the experience," she said. "If we want to have a good show, we know that's what's necessary."
You have to have high expectations for yourself too in order to improve, Potts added.
"My peers are one of the biggest parts of getting better and putting on a good show because I think the more you have sort of a team — you wouldn't really think of ballet as a team, but you can think of your best friends and people you've grown up with so long as a team," Potts said. "Being there for each other whenever they're struggling with a specific step or a specific part and just making sure that you can always be there for them and help them out, I just feel like that's one of the most important parts for me."
With Ormond Ballet's production being held in November, it can also help kick off Christmas festivities, Khanna added.
And it's an opportunity, Rogan said, to appreciate local arts.
"I think everybody should just watch ballet," Rogan said. "I feel like we should have more appreciation for the arts as a community."
Tickets for Ormond Ballet's "The Nutcracker" start at $30. Visit www.ormondballet.com.
