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This year marks the 52nd annual Nutcracker from Westside Ballet of Santa Monica. As California’s longest-running production, the iconic show and the dance company behind it are bigger and better than ever.
Westside Ballet of Santa Monica, a beloved pre-professional company, has built a tradition of preparing their dancers for the world’s biggest stages. Today, its ballerinas are training to become tomorrow’s biggest ballet stars.
For months, the company has been preparing for its outstanding annual Nutcracker performance, which opens Thanksgiving weekend on Nov. 29 and runs through Dec. 7 at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage Santa Monica . The dancers, some as young as eight years old, practice their moves diligently until they sway in perfect synchronization, ready for opening night.
Among the dancers is Spencer Collins, 12, who won the Hope Award at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Finals in April 2025. The award is the highest distinction of the competition, recognizing exceptional artistry, technique and promise. Collins won first place in the YAGP finals last year and is now a two-time recipient of the Hope Award. This means the young dancer now holds the top ranking worldwide in his age category across boys and girls’ divisions.
“Winning the Hope Award was something I had always dreamed about,” Collins says, taking a break from rehearsing his role as the center Russian dancer. “Now that I’m in the next age group, I have that pressure to carry on. Being able to perform alongside Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia (in the Nutcracker) gives me confidence to reach the next level.”
In this year’s performance, Collins will dance alongside New York City Ballet principals Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia as Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, respectively, during the Thanksgiving weekend performances. While the star power is certainly exciting, it is even more remarkable that Peck herself is a Westside alumna.
“It means the world to get to come back to the studio I trained with as a young dancer and get to share the stage with the next generation of Westside Ballet students,” Peck says. “I love seeing how Yvonne’s legacy and aesthetic is continuing to be passed down to these dancers and I know she would be so happy knowing that I have returned to dance alongside her students, hopefully giving them the confidence to think, ‘Maybe I can also one day become principal ballerina’.”
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Peck, who is now principal ballerina at the NYC Ballet, once trained at the same Santa Monica studios under founder Yvonne Mounsey, a former New York City Ballet principal under George Balanchine. Balanchine is widely considered the ‘father of American ballet’ and was one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, having co-founded the NYC Ballet and served as artistic director for over 35 years. Peck’s career spans from Santa Monica and the NYC Ballet to starring in Amazon Prime’s ballet series Étoile, a trajectory that many Westside ballerinas dream of achieving.
Westside’s history and reputation suggest that these aren’t pipe dreams – Westside continues to help passionate dancers evolve into tomorrow’s biggest ballerinas, springboarding their success. Peck’s presence in the production marks a full-circle moment for the pre-professional company. Westside has become a training ground, sending dancers to the most prestigious programs and stages in the world.
Recently, Westside has placed students at the Royal Ballet School (Dylan Weinstein, Evan Hull), San Francisco Ballet School (Sawyer Jordon, now a trainee), the Joffrey Ballet’s Conservatory (Gianna Zingone) and ABT’s prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (Dylan Weinstein).
“Westside has been my second home since I was five years old,” says Gabriella Calderon, 18. Calderon will perform as Dew Drop Fairy, her dream role, in her final Nutcracker production before starting at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) in January.
“I’ve performed in the Nutcracker since 2016. I’ve been a Polichinelle, I was Clara in 2019, and now I’m dancing Dew Drop. In January, I’ll start training at CPYB. I wouldn’t be going there without the foundation I got here,” says Calderon. CPYB is ranked as one of the best pre-professional programs in the country.
The training at Westside Ballet is high-intensity, reflecting an elite athletic program. During the Nutcracker season, advanced dancers like Calderon train for an average of 25 hours per week. Westside dancers make the same time commitment as Olympic athletes do.
“It’s definitely not easy,” Calderon admits. “I’m graduating high school in 2026, and I’ve been doing online school so I can train more hours. But ballet has taught me time management and discipline.”
For Spencer Collins, that discipline is taught and perfected in Westside dancers by the company’s associate executive director, Adrian Blake Mitchell. Mitchell is a Westside alumna and former principal dancer with the Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mitchell has been Spencer’s primary coach for three years now.
“Adrian doesn’t just teach steps — he teaches me how to perform, how to tell a story with my body,” Collins says. “He pushes me really hard, but he also believes in me, and makes me believe I can dance at the highest level.”
Ballet legend Tiler Peck, who will share the stage with young Collins, remarked on his talent and drive. “The first moment I saw Spencer, I could tell he was special,” Peck says. “Of course his talent at such a young age was incredible, but he also has natural quality to his dancing and great charisma. His future is bright and I look forward to seeing him continue to shine and rise.”
What sets Westside Ballet apart from other pre-professional dance programs, besides the training, is the philosophy behind it. Westside was founded in 1973 by Yvonne Mounsey (NYCB) and Rosemary Valaire (Royal Ballet). Since the beginning, they have maintained a non-audition policy, meaning anyone can walk into the studio and begin training.
“Ballet can seem really exclusive and expensive, but it shouldn’t be,” Westside spokesperson Jewels Solheim-Roe says. “At Westside, we perform for elementary school kids who’ve never seen ballet before.”
Westside Ballet strives to keep the art of ballet accessible, offering state-of-the-art ensembles, talent and music comparable to a major opera house. This year’s production includes NYCB talent and a live 40-piece symphony orchestra from Santa Monica College, with tickets priced at a reasonable $66.50 each. Westside also offers about 1,000 free tickets to Title I elementary students from Santa Monica-Malibu and Los Angeles Unified School Districts.
Another way Westside Ballet works to support young, inspired dancers is through its Dance to Dream scholarship program. Founded in 2022 by Mitchell, the week-long summer intensive program focuses on underserved communities. It has already been proven effective, with 8-year-old Karson St. Claire, who will debut in the Nutcracker this year after demonstrating exceptional talent during the program.
Production-wise, this year’s Nutcracker features 145 dancers ages 8 to 20, making it the largest in the company’s history. Also new this year is ‘The Nutcracker Tea’, an intimate experience where guests can enjoy high tea, a backstage tour and a meet-and-greet with Tiler Peck. However, for dancers like Calderon and Collins, the magic happens backstage.
“My favorite part is spending time with all my friends and the other dancers,” Collins says. “Seeing the little kids watching the older dancers from the wings is really sweet. And even though it’s my third time I get to perform with Tiler and Roman, it never gets old.”
For Calderon, her final Nutcracker will see her performing alongside a longtime hero, the culmination of her dance career at Westside thus far. “Tiler has always been a huge inspiration to me. Getting to watch her dance Sugar Plum from backstage is incredibly special every time.”
Credit: Sarah Madison PhotographyPeck stands to prove that a dancer can begin in Santa Monica and rise to the top of the ballet world. “She trained in the same studios that Gabby and Spencer do now, with some of the same teachers,” shares Solheim-Roe. “When they watch her perform as Sugar Plum, these young dancers see what’s possible. It’s like she’s passing the torch to the next generation.”
Similarly, Peck understands the importance of community beyond the technique of dance.
“I love that the Nutcracker includes the entire school,” Peck reflects. “So many different ages and levels come together to create what really feels like a community of family, which I think is perfect during the holidays. It really shows that the saying ‘We are better together’ is true. The Nutcracker is the one moment we all come together and make some holiday magic for the Santa Monica community.”
The alumni of Westside Ballet have spanned notable careers even outside of dance. Actresses Elizabeth Moss, Jenna Elfman and Kate Hudson all credit Westside, where they received early ballet training, for developing the stage presence and discipline that launched their acting careers. Continuing Westside’s tradition for excellence across the arts, alumnas Joy Womack (former Bolshoi Ballet) and Lyrica Woodruff (Broadway’s Anastasia), as well as Peck, appear in Amazon Prime’s ballet series Étoile.
At its core, this year’s Nutcracker production is a historic moment for the company: a 12-year-old prodigy will take the stage as an 18-year-old takes her final bow before starting an exciting next chapter. Both will dance alongside a world-renowned ballerina who has returned to her home stage to inspire them.
“This is what Westside is about,” Solheim-Roe reflects. “World-class training, but also for our community. Westside develops the next generation of professional dancers, while making sure everyone has access to this beautiful art form.”
As dancers prepare for opening night, Collins dreams of a future where he graces the same stages as his heroes. “When I’m out there with Tiler and Roman, it makes me think that maybe I could one day be like them.”
While Thanksgiving weekend is sold out online, tickets may be available at the door. The show runs from November 29 to 30 with Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia, and December 5 to 7 with Los Angeles Ballet company dancer Rony Baseman and Ashley Chung, a dancer from the joint LAB-Westside trainee program.
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Natalia Oprzadek
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