'The Nutcracker' is a family affair for dance studio

Parents have been taking their children to see the Nutcracker for years, but in one local production, parents actually perform with their children.

Midwest Dance Arts, a 2-year-old dance studio in Arlington Heights run by Susan Ross, mounts the latest interpretation of the classic ballet designed around the music of Tchaikovsky.

The show takes place at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at the historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, the former vaudeville theater built in 1926.

"It's such a great venue, with its red velvet curtains and gilded lobby," Ross says. "It offers just the right ambiance for the Nutcracker."

What gives the show its appeal are the many families performing together. Parents of the young dancers have stepped forward to assume the role of guests at the opening party scene.

They include Carol and David Janes of Rolling Meadows, whose two daughters, Jian and Virginia, dance in the ensemble; as well as Scott and Carmen Hoffman of South Elgin, with daughters Morgan and Lauren Rose; and Liana Allison of Arlington Heights with her daughter, Lara.

Carol Janes of Rolling Meadows describes it as a good, creative stretch, since she grew up studying music, and not dance.

As an adult, she incorporates her musical background into her kindergarten classroom at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, and she has worked behind the scenes organizing many of their productions. But she never saw herself dancing on stage.

"This was something we could do as a family," Janes says, "and it's a chance to do something you wouldn't normally do."

Likewise, her husband, David, makes the transition from his daytime role as a software engineer, to his stage role as Herr Drosselmeyer, the godfather who gives young Clara the gift of a nutcracker for Christmas.

The couple gets to dance the promenade together along with the other adults at the party, before giving way to the young ballerinas.

Starring in the role of Clara, is 12-year-old Haley Shike of Arlington Heights, Ross' daughter, while her older daughter, Brittany Rawske-Mileski - a professional dancer who teaches at Giordano Dance Center in Evanston - serves as assistant director and leads the Arabian dance.

Some of Ross' former students, who are pursuing dance in college, return to dance solo parts, including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen and Angel, and in the Spanish and Russian tea dances.

If Ross' name sounds familiar, it may be because she has taught dance and musical theater at the Rolling Meadows and Palatine park districts, while also choreographing shows for the Palatine-based theater company, Music on Stage.

She also has served as a guest choreographer at several suburban high schools, typically being called upon when dance troupes want to prepare a program for competitions.

Her passion for dance and musical theater production, is contagious, as evidenced by the many adults who started out helping behind the scenes, and now find themselves front and center, on stage.

But it is her sense of family that underscores the show, and the dance studio. The night of the performance, a silent auction and raffle will take place, featuring Nutcracker-themed baskets filled with sugar plum fairies and fancy dolls.

All proceeds from the auction, as well as 10 percent of the ticket sales, will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities, in memory of Ross' infant son who passed away, and in support of the many families who support their critically ill children.