From under the skirt to the top of the bill.
When the community comes out to take in the 2025 rendition of the Christmas classic show “The Nutcracker” at Russell Auditorium Dec. 12-14, they will see Gatewood School student Isabelle Rocker’s journey to the lead role of Clara reach its fruition.
What began almost three decades ago at Georgia College & State University under director Amelia Pelton continues, and for the second year Director of Dance Natalie King and Dance Lecturer Juliana Freude present the story of Clara, a nutcracker doll come to life and their experiences with the Mouse King, the Sugar Plum Fairy and many others.
For 15-year-old Isabelle, this will be her eighth time in “The Nutcracker” cast going back to age 7. She is one of several students in the GCSU Department of Theatre and Dance’s Community Dance Program who begin tireless work all the way back in the summer preparing for the wintertime show.
“I love this program,” she said. “I have made really good friends. It’s like a completely different life than my school life.
“I just fell in love with (‘The Nutcracker’). I have so much fun on stage. A little kid running around in circles.”
“She is a beautiful dancer,” said Freude. “I have been able to work with her a year-and-a-half now. I have seen her abilities improve consistently. She is taking all the feedback I am providing her, and I see it is creating her into a beautiful dancer and artist. I am excited to see her put that on stage for everyone to enjoy.”
Tara Rocker is Isabelle’s mother, and she has two daughters — including 10-year-old Eleanor — in the community program. She can recall her child actually giggling while running in circles playing a Polichinelle. That’s a role Eleanor, in the program since age 3 and perhaps Isabelle’s biggest fan, has this year as well as being a solider and part of the dragon.
“I was laughing so hard at Mother Ginger. I thought it was hilarious that a man was dressed up,” said Isabelle.
“Mother Ginger has this huge skirt that the little dancers come running out from underneath,” said Tara. “It’s adorable.”
Isabelle has also played a Harlequin doll, a solider, a poinsettia, a reindeer, a dragon, a candy cane and just a little girl in “The Nutcracker.”
And now Clara. She is at a Christmas party in a white dress and is seeing her friends for the first time since Easter. She receives the gift of a nutcracker and falls asleep with it. This leads to a “terrible” dream of being chased by rats, but the nutcracker comes to life and saves her. They proceed to travel through a “winter wonderland” with various fairies.
“All these people come and present her as a princess and dance for her,” said Isabelle. “I will never forget when I was a little girl it was really the first time I saw it up close, people dancing on point shoes. I loved it. I started ballet to be on point shoes. Now I realize I’m at that age I wanted to be when I was that age. Getting used to being the role model for the little girls.”
“That’s one of the greatest parts of this program,” said Tara. “The exposure Isabelle has had when she was little. Now that she is maturing into a role model, she also has role models still here. College students, parents. Instructors are fantastic. It presents itself on “The Nutcracker” stage.”
“This is the first year I’ve worked with college students, being in choreography with them,” said Isabelle. “They do my hair. Annie is the Snow Queen, and I have a lot of fun with her.”
Isabelle is now getting to where she can hear a song on a ride home and think it would make a good dance.
“I guess I have a mindset for choreography,” she said. “I make up dances with my friends now that I’ve gotten older. I do a lot of dancing anywhere. Come up with something on the spot. I think it’s funny sometimes, emotional.”
“I’ve grown up watching these beautiful girls dance,” Tara said, who is not in “The Nutcracker” herself like other moms and dads she knows. “Get to be backstage and watch them grow as dancers.
“It is a whole family affair. Whether you are on stage, backstage, this is a community program. My son and husband are great supporters. We have family members who come from all over to see it. It sets the Christmas tone for our family and a lot of families.”
Putnam County’s Avery Owens and Jasper County’s Destiny Peete are high school seniors playing Dew Drop Fairies. Avery explains this as the queen of the flowers, the biggest and the brightest. She also has her own “funny story” to share about being an 8-year-old Polichinelle in a previous show.
“There’s this big table, metal underneath,” she said. “I got up before I was supposed to and hit my head on the table before I got out on stage. It was very disorienting. I got through it, continued on, did my dance. It was a pretty hard head hit.”
Destiny skipped that role, but has had just about every other one imaginable. She loves the idea of performing in front of multitudes in Milledgeville.
Rehearsals begin in September after the cast list comes out in August, Avery said that is an exciting time to be thinking about a Christmas show even before Labor Day. In fact, it’s spring time when they start wondering what roles they will land in “The Nutcracker.” One day that could be Snow Queen or Sugar Plum Fairy.
“As the director of GCSU Community Dance, what I enjoy most is watching the magic of ‘The Nutcracker’ unfold for both the performers and the audience,” said King. “It is a true honor to guide dancers of differing ages, witnessing their growth, excitement, and passion on stage. GCSU’s production uniquely blends classical ballet with jazz, tap and contemporary movement, giving familiar scenes a vibrant new perspective while honoring tradition.
“We also incorporate elements inspired by our local culture and history, such as The Dance of the Peacock, a tribute to Milledgeville’s famed writer Flannery O’Connor and her love for these majestic birds. This year, we’re elevating the experience even further with new set pieces and immersive digital projections, designed to transport the audience into the enchanting world of ‘The Nutcracker.’”
Freude, originally from Ohio, joined GCSU’s dance faculty last school year after extensive experience in the art in performing and instructing.
“This year we are trying to create a different, even more magical holiday atmosphere,” she said. “With a lot of our props and sets on top of all the choreographic choices. We hope it will be a more surprising and exciting moment for audiences. It will have a bit of a different approach to it, but that doesn’t mean the storyline has changed. It’s just the visuals we hope to portray this year.”
Ethan Rogers returns in the title role, and Freude said they worked to make sure it is a different challenge for him, another level attached to it so that he can grow as a performer.
In the second act, Clara and The Nutcracker will watch candy canes, the return of the peacock, angels, flowers and others. King said the GCSU golfers, coached by Ben English, make their stage debut in the Dance of Trepak.
