'Incredible fantasy'

Alyce Brinkmann was 11 years old and played an angel when she joined her first Nutcracker performance at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Watching the skilled dancers move on stage and listening to Tchaikovsky's music made her fall in love for the first time with this ballet.

"Tchaikovsky is so beautiful," she said. "How the choreographers tell the story through his music is amazing."

After that first show, she performed in the Nutcracker many more times, adding, "I've done every role there is to do except the male ones."

Now artistic director at the Illinois Youth Dance Theatre, Brinkmann will watch her students and guest artists bring this holiday tradition to stage Friday night.

"I feel I can do it justice," she said.

Brinkmann said her dancers perform the story every holiday season because it is a tradition both for the dancers and the audience.

"Ballet is all built on tradition. It is important to keep the tradition alive and to keep the kids challenged," she said.

The group's eighth annual production will be given by 80 dancers ranging from 3 year olds to adults.

Brinkmann sees the same joy she felt as a child in her dancers, now even younger.

"My 3- to 5-year-olds tell me that they love it and look forward to it every year," she said.

Sara Swenson first joined the Nutcracker when she was 6 years old and then knew she wanted to dance her entire life.

"I like being on the stage and get to pretend to be someone you're not," said the 17-year-old. "It's all incredible fantasy."

This year, she will play the Sugar Plum Fairy who, along with the people in the Land of Sweets, dances for Marie and the prince. As a finale, she and the Cavalier dance the Pas De Deux.

"She is regal and majestic. You dominate the stage," said the Cary resident.

It must be love that keeps dancers of all ages committed to a long schedule. They practice from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. each weekday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. It is the athletic skill the dancers must show that requires long hours to practice, Brinkmann said.

"It is so unnatural to the body. It requires physical strength and memory. It takes repetition, repetition, repetition," she said.

Playing Marie, who receives the Nutcracker as a gift, is 13-year-old Chantelle Mrowka of Johnsburg. Mrowka, who has danced since she was 3 years old, said playing Marie her second year is an honor.

"There is a lot of work and dedication to put toward it. But it is worth it in the end," she said.

Playing the Nutcracker Prince will be Peter Birdsall. The 14-year-old who has danced since age 5 said performing in the Nutcracker is anything but sissy.

"It takes a lot of hard work to do this. Boys can do it, too," said Birdsall, who lives in Walworth, Wis.

While Brinkmann tries to keep tradition, some aspects of the show are unique, such as using Hollywood backdrops and costumes rented by the Milwaukee Ballet.

The dancers also pay tribute to Brinkmann's English and Scottish heritage as the second act incorporates dances around the world.

"Being my heritage, even though I am not trained in it, I felt I needed to pay it homage although it is very untraditional," she said.

Supporting the production this year, Illinois Youth Dance Theatre received a $2,170 program grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

As audiences leave the show, Brinkmann hopes they find the experience magical.

"I hope they find it colorful and a bit unreal. They find a bit of fantasy," she said.