11-Year-old Charlotte Nebres is Breaking Barriers by Becoming the Star of the New York City Ballet’s Holiday Production of George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker”

 

This story was first reported by The New York Times. A student at the School of American Ballet, Charlotte Nebres danced her way into ballet history. She is New York City Ballet’s first black Marie, the young heroine of a show that dates back to 1954.

Don’t miss a beat! Click HERE to become a BELLA Insider!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

IN THE NEWS // The four children who alternate the roles of Marie and the Nutcracker Prince were recently profiled in The New York Times by Gia Kourlas. She sat down with them to discuss the rehearsal process, their lives off-stage, and their roles in the ballet.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ When asked who the Nutcracker Prince is to him, 11-year-old Kai Misra-Stone (pictured at top right) said, “The Prince is this character that develops. In the beginning, he is Drosselmeier’s nephew and then it’s almost as if he transforms into the Nutcracker and then goes back to being the Prince. He comes out of his shell and just opens up and is like: Here I am.”⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Thirteen-year-old Tanner Quirk (pictured in the foreground), is the oldest of the four, and has also previously played Marie’s bratty brother Fritz in the production. to him, the Nutcracker Prince “is very brave and compassionate especially toward his Marie, which is what I aspire to be like in real life, too.”⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Photo: Heather Sten @heathersten for The New York Times @nytimes⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ See these very young dancers who are the heart of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, now on stage through JAN 5. Tap the link in bio for tickets and more information.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #nutcracker #nycbnutcracker #thenutcracker #nutcrackerballet #holidayseason #georgebalanchinesthenutcracker #ballet #dance #boysdancetoo #balletdancer #dancelife #balletlife #instaballet #dancers #choreography #balanchine #nycb #nycballet #newyorkcityballet #newyorkcity #linkinbio

A post shared by New York City Ballet (@nycballet) on Dec 1, 2019 at 9:19am PST

“It just feels like when I dance, I feel free and I feel empowered. I feel like I can do anything when I dance,” she told the Times. “It makes me happy, and I’m going to do what makes me happy. You don’t need to think about anything else.”

Charlotte recalled being inspired when she saw Misty Copeland perform for the first time. She was just 6 years old when Copeland became the first female African American principal at American Ballet Theater.