Countless young girls dream of one day dancing in pointe shoes on the tips of their toes like the Sugar Plum Fairy of the famed “Nutcracker” ballet. Some of them go on to study the demanding art form in earnest. And a very small fraction of these will one day get the chance to become this iconic figure on stage.
St. Augustine’s Claudia Mueckay is one of the rare few. She will portray the Sugar Plum Fairy, the pinnacle of the ballet repertoire, on Dec. 22 in “Christmas Fantastique” at Lewis Auditorium in downtown St. Augustine.
The original production from Zoika’s Dance reimagines the classic holiday story of “The Nutcracker,” featuring classical ballet, as well as contemporary dance styles, including hip hop, tap, jazz, acro and modern dance.
Mueckay, a senior at Tocoi Creek High School, has been studying ballet since the age of 4. For the second year, she will dance the demanding Sugar Plum Fairy role alongside dance partner Jake Karger, also of St. Augustine. The two have been good friends and fellow dancers for most of their lives.
“I have always loved the Sugar Plum Fairy choreography,” Mueckay said. “It is the role of a lifetime.”
Director and choreographer Zoika Garcia is a former professional ballet dancer and owner of Zoika’s Dance school in St. Augustine, where Mueckay trains in ballet.
“It is impossible to convey the amount of hard work and discipline necessary to dance at this level,” Garcia explained. “Claudia has given her all to achieving it. She is so beautiful.”
“Christmas Fantastique” takes the audience along young Clara’s Christmas Eve dream as her toys come to life and she travels with a young prince to the Land of Sweets. There she meets the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, and a host of scintillating dancers of different genres from exotic lands. Throughout it all, the timeless music of Tchaikovsky’s score evokes the holiday spirit.
The cast of 65 dancers includes both professional dancers as well as young, local dancers. Garcia has called upon the talents of professional dancers Enrique Sessa and Elisa Ruby of Mexico’s Ballet Prover, Jenne Vermes (tap, contemporary), Sean Mansfield (tap, hip hop), Amaani Grant (hip hop, tap, contemporary) and Katie DeAcutis (hip hop, contemporary) to join the production. A choir of young vocalists will also perform before each show, with signing provided by deaf interpreter Amanda Villalobos.
Performances will be held at 2 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, at Lewis Auditorium, Flagler College, 14 Granada St., St. Augustine. Tickets are $20 and $30 and may be purchased online at zoikasdance.com.
