The turnout was thrilling, with each performance averaging 350 Brown and Providence community members, according to Brown Ballet Company’s co-director, Elise Petit, a senior studying architecture and French. 

“Many audience members have never had the chance to see live ballet performances before, so it is a great way to introduce an appreciation of the art to new people,” Petit said. 

Another way to introduce people to ballet? Involve them in the process. Brown Ballet Company collaborated with several other theater groups on campus to bring the performance to life, with 82 students having a hand in the production, from coordination to costumes. 

The iconic score was performed live by a conductor and pit orchestra comprising 35 Brown students. In addition to the 31 Brown Ballet Company dancers and the volunteer stage managers and lighting directors, a handful of students from other dance groups on campus — Brown Lion Dance, the Brown Ballroom Dance Team and OJA! Moden African Dance — joined the cast. 

“Many of our dancers performed in their studios’ productions of ‘The Nutcracker’ growing up, and so being in ‘The Nutcracker’ now is both a chance to relive childhood memories and try out roles they never had the chance to perform,” Petit said. “It also very much helps us bond as a company. Supporting each other in various roles and allowing cross-student collaboration is a super important part of establishing a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.” 

After securing rehearsal and performance spaces and dates with help from coordinators in the Student Activities Office, Petit said they hit the ground running. For the three months preceding the performances, the cast learned and rehearsed choreography while the orchestra coordinated the live musical performance that accompanies the show. After a week of intensive, on-stage dress rehearsals, the curtains were ready to be drawn. 

It’s a lot for a student group that was formed just last year. 

With no official student-run ballet companies on campus, the group’s original co-founders navigated the logistics of forming the company, which leapt into action in Spring 2023, with its first showcases held that April and May. 

“We felt that it was necessary to bring ballet to campus, not only to increase the diversity of dance styles within student groups, but also to create a ballet space that is welcoming and supportive to students from the larger community,” Petit said. “Ultimately, the whole point is to engage the community in a positive and creative way and to bring together members of the community via a love and appreciation of ballet.”