{"id":92072,"date":"2025-12-12T17:27:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/92072\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T17:27:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:27:20","slug":"dozens-of-students-take-center-stage-inspiring-peers-in-bakersfields-nutcracker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/92072\/","title":{"rendered":"Dozens of Students Take Center Stage, Inspiring Peers in Bakersfield\u2019s Nutcracker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bakersfield\u2019s beloved holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, is returning to the stage for its 48th annual production this this weekend. Presented by Civic Dance Center and the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, the longtime production is once again enchanting audiences while also introducing the performing arts to thousands of local students through its popular Young People\u2019s Concerts.<\/p>\n

On Thursday and Friday, as many as 6,000 students from across Kern County and beyond attended the special, free morning performances at the Dignity Health Theater. Students were bused in from schools all over the county, including Tehachapi, Delano, and Lost Hills, many experiencing live music and a live show for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very unique experience, and we\u2019re glad that we can offer that,\u201d said Erica Ueberroth, executive artistic director of Civic Dance Center, who also plays Mother Ginger in the production.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mother Ginger and her Gingerbread Children.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dancers rehearse using the giant hoop skirt to prepare for the big performance.<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. John Mendiburu introduces the audience to the Sugar Plum Fairy.<\/p>\n

Hosted by Civic Dance Center in partnership with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, the Young People\u2019s Concerts present a 45-minute, kid-friendly version of The Nutcracker. The performance features highlights from the classical ballet, an introduction to the characters and costumes, and behind-the-scenes insight into how a major production comes together. Commentary from Kern County Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Mendiburu helps guide students through the experience and connect the arts to their everyday lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked the audience to raise their hands if this was their first-ever concert, and so many hands went up,\u201d Dr. Mendiburu said. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to be able to partner with the dance center and the orchestra to bring the show to life for these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ueberroth said she often hears stories of students who attend the concert and later ask their families to sign them up for dance classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the whole purpose behind it,\u201d Ueberroth said. \u201cAs much as academics are very important, there is a whole realm of artistic endeavor that could be someone\u2019s thing, and they just don\u2019t know it yet because they haven\u2019t been exposed to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production itself is a showcase of local talent, featuring dancers who have grown up with the show and now serve as role models for younger performers and for students in the audience.<\/p>\n

Seventeen-year-old Chloe Bickford, a senior at Bakersfield Christian High School, is performing the coveted role of Sugar Plum Fairy. Bickford has been dancing for more than 13 years and has been part of The Nutcracker since she was nine.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing the Sugar Plum Fairy is such a unique role,\u201d Bickford said. \u201cIt\u2019s a combination of artistry, very complicated steps, and how you present yourself on stage. It\u2019s fascinating to play with those dynamics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bickford is deeply committed to making dance accessible for everyone. She is the founder of a free dance workshop program for children ages 5 to 17 held at local branches of the Kern County Library and plans to pursue public policy with a focus on youth advocacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I go to teach those classes, I\u2019m not just another girl,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m a princess. I\u2019m a prima ballerina to them. My job is to make sure they can believe in themselves as much as they believe in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

For siblings Lucas and Sophia Angelini, The Nutcracker is both a performance and a family tradition. Sophia, a 12-year-old student at Warren Junior High School, is performing as young Clara in act one and as an ensemble dancer in act two. Fifteen-year-old Lucas, aStockdale High School student, is dancing the role he has dreamed of for years: The Nutcracker Prince.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying Fritz was really fun, getting to be the little kid, but I\u2019ve been wanting to be the prince since I was a kid; that\u2019s been my dream part,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cThere\u2019s been no other part that I wanted more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both siblings began dancing at age four, and their mother is one of the directors, making Civic Dance Center feel like a second home. And with cast members coming back to The Nutcracker year after year, Ueberroth calls the cast and crew a second family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get really close with each other. Even though it\u2019s a lot of hours and hard work, it\u2019s also something you look forward to, because you\u2019re with your friends and working towards that common goal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Fifteen-year-old Lucas Angelini describes the Nutcracker Prince as his dream role.<\/p>\n

Lucas said each year brings new challenges, new roles, and new opportunities to grow. He especially enjoys performing with a live orchestra.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have more control and power, because they\u2019re following you,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to adapt to what you\u2019re doing and how you\u2019re moving. The orchestra brings it to life a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophia said she loves the acting and interaction that come with her role, as well as the moments when she\u2019s lifted high into the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a part in the finale where I get a lift, and it feels like I\u2019m flying; it\u2019s super fun,\u201d she said. \u201cI do find it really fun to dance with my friends. I get to act with them and hang out with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas also recognizes the importance of representation, especially as one of the older male dancers in the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can look up to someone else, but you also have to remember you\u2019re the inspiration for someone younger,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels special to be one of the leads, because there are people who have never seen dance, and maybe I\u2019m also encouraging them to join.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in its 48th year, Civic Dance Center\u2019s The Nutcracker, which the organization has produced since 1978, remains the longest-running production of the ballet in Bakersfield, with generations of dancers having passed through its cast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people who danced in it before I was born, and now I\u2019m here,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job is to make sure they can believe in themselves as much as they believe in me.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2013 Chloe Bickford, Sugar Plum Fairy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For those who get inspired to start dancing after seeing this special performance, Lucas said it\u2019s easy to get started. Don\u2019t expect perfection right away, just work hard and show up, and you will get better.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can start at any age. There\u2019s a ton of different levels,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can get started and work your way up the levels and slowly become a better dancer over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bickford agreed, saying you get out of dance the same energy and passion you put into it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt comes down to time management and prioritizing what\u2019s most important to you, what you most value,\u201d Bickford said. \u201cIf you love it, you have to make the time to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she\u2019s preparing to graduate in the spring and go off to college, this performance will be Bickford\u2019s last with The Nutcracker. As the Sugar Plum Fairy takes her final bow, she\u2019s hoping to leave all that time, energy, and love out on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I go out on that stage, I just want to put my entire heart into it. I\u2019m dancing as the Sugar Plum Fairy, but you can really see who Chloe Bickford is through that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For audiences looking to experience the full magic, The Nutcracker runs at the Mechanics Bank Convention Center from Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14. Tickets are available on the Civic Dance Center website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The cast interacts with the students after the show. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bakersfield\u2019s beloved holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, is returning to the stage for its 48th annual production this this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":{"0":"post-92072","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bakersfield","8":"tag-bakersfield","9":"tag-bakersfield-headlines","10":"tag-bakersfield-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}