The music, the mystery, the magic — for many, nothing makes these aspects of the holiday season come alive like The Nutcracker, the beloved ballet by Tchaikovsky. Studio West Dance Theater is proud to kick off Olympia’s holidays with The Nutcracker on the weekend after Thanksgiving, at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.
“The music is delicious,” said Studio West co-owner/co-director Stephanie Wood-Ennett. “People are drawn to it — the costumes, the dancing. The story is timeless. It’s a classic.”
All the Nutcracker favorites will be there — the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Mouse King, dancing snowflakes, Mother Ginger and more. Wood-Ennett is proud that lead roles are performed by students, though seasoned and highly trained ones — this year, all leads have studied dance at the studio for over a decade. And along with experience, they have star power.
“All four leads possess that crucial, innate quality that truly connects with the audience, even reaching out to the very back row,” Wood-Ennett said.
Olympia High School senior Kate Abbott and OHS sophomore Emma Ehrlander will perform the Sugar Plum Fairy, while Gibson Baggett, a senior at OHS, plays the Cavalier.
One audience member who’s seen SWDA productions over and over is Loanne Dang, the parent of former students. While her children are now adults, she keeps coming back to Studio West’s production of The Nutcracker.
“The production as a whole is beautiful, but it’s the attention to detail in the choreography, the gestures and interactions on stage that draws me as an audience member,” she said. “This is where I think Studio West shines.”
Her favorite scene is the Waltz of the Snowflakes. “Studio West’s whimsical and dynamic choreography of this scene really brings the magic of the first snowfall to life,” Dang said.
The Nutcracker cast includes about 200 people, mainly children. Initially, Wood-Ennett staged the whole production herself, now “I have quite a team,” she said, with longtime instructors leading rehearsals and contributing choreography. Several have professional roots, such as Erin Pattillo, who danced in the summer program of the Joffrey Ballet in New York City, later teaching for 15 years at the Washington Contemporary Ballet company. Another mainstay is Marianna Ramsour, who danced with the Metropolitan Ballet of Caracas and Ballet Memphis before joining Studio West. And Wood-Ennett herself spent six seasons with Ballet Memphis.
As a child growing up in Olympia, Wood-Ennett “ate and breathed dance.” But wanting to dance professionally, she had to move away from home at age 15 when accepted at the San Francisco Ballet School, since there weren’t enough high-level classes here.
That experience led her to open Studio West in 2008, with business partner Mary Cecelia Piper
“I didn’t want kids who want to dance professionally to have to leave home,” Wood-Ennett said.
She’s proud that many Studio West students have ended up pursuing professional programs. In recent years, those include Aiden Hodo, a 2025 OHS graduate now with the Oregon Ballet Theatre; James Johnson, a 2023 graduate also with the Oregon Ballet; Katelyn Beaulieu, who is training with Ballet Arizona; and Gianna Zabolio, in training in the Ballet West pre-professional program.
“Look what we can offer here in Olympia,” Wood-Ennett said.
Studio West has put on The Nutcracker for the past 16 years, only one year less than the studio has been in existence. Mounting such a production for such a new studio was a huge undertaking, but the rewards of providing performance opportunities for students were clear.
“I know what it feels like to be on stage,” Wood-Ennett said. “It’s pure magic.”
It was a huge boost for the studio when the new Studio West was able to purchase sets and costumes from the Nashville Ballet, along with hiring that company’s stage manager, who helped others learn the ropes of putting the show together. While Studio West has since created many of its own costumes, the sets are still the originals.
“We knew that to really make a professional statement to our community, besides training strong technical and artistic dancers, we needed a major ‘wow’[ factor in our scenery,” Wood-Ennett said, stating it’s highly unusual to find such major components at affordable prices. “It was pure luck, and the stars were aligned.”
The Thanksgiving weekend production follows more than two months of intense rehearsals, which, after so many years, Wood-Ennett describes as “a well-oiled machine.” And along with learning the dances and parts, the children and adults in the cast learn to work closely together.
“There’s such a sense of community,” she said. “I think people end up loving the community as much as the dance itself.”
Along with performing the ballet, Studio West also offers a “Clara’s Nutcracker Party,” to those age 3 and up an hour before afternoon productions. These parties offer very young children a chance to hear stories, have refreshments and meet cast members.
Wood-Ennett hopes that those attending Studio West performances of The Nutcracker come away with appreciation both for the ballet itself, and for live performance.
“I hope they leave feeling inspired and connected to live performance,” she said. “It’s not fake, not on your phone. And I want them to feel like, I love this ballet.”
WHAT:
Studio West Dance Theater presents The Nutcracker
WHERE:
Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St., Olympia WA 98501
WHEN:
Friday, Nov. 28, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 30, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Clara’s Nutcracker Party, Friday, Nov. 28, 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 30, noon
COST:
$24-$42, The Nutcracker, $24, “Clara’s Nutcracker Party” (chaperones with children are free)
LEARN MOORE:
http://www.washingtoncenter.org
boxoffice@washingtoncenter.org
(360) 753-8586