Miami City Ballet brings holiday magic with The Nutcracker

It’s a heartwarming tale that captures the essence of the holiday spirit. Through a mesmerizing journey of dance, the Miami City Ballet breathes life into George Balanchine’s timeless masterpiece, The Nutcracker.  

Turn after turn, principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet, Dawn Atkins, made it look effortless. 

Dawn Atkins: dancing her dream  

CBS News Miami sat in as the ballet dancers started their more than six-hour daily practice. For Atkins, her dream of being a professional ballerina started at the age of 5. She hopes that in turn, for living her dream, she is serving as a vessel, giving each audience member exactly what they need at that moment.

“If you need an escape, if you need joy, if you need laughter, I always pray before I go on stage, and often I’ll ask that I can be what the audience needs me to be,” said Atkins.

Atkins was practicing with her partner, principal dancer Stanislav Olshanskyi. 

Stanislav Olshanskyi: from Ukraine to Miami  

Originally from Ukraine, Olshanskyi has graced the stages of 27 countries. As war broke out in Ukraine while he was dancing in Amsterdam, he found hope in the Miami City Ballet’s announcement for a male principal dancer position.

“So I made this hard decision and moved here and said, ‘Hey, let’s start a new life and we’ll figure it out,'” said Olshanskyi.

Olshanskyi is now in his fourth season with the Miami City Ballet. The dancers are guided by artistic director Gonzalo Garcia.

Gonzalo Garcia: guiding a new era  

Garcia captured the spotlight at just 15, winning a gold medal in a prestigious dance competition in Switzerland and earning a scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet, eventually becoming a principal dancer. From there, it was principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Now, a new chapter unfolds as he takes on the role of artistic director at the Miami City Ballet, making history as only the third artistic director in the company’s 40-year journey.

This season marks his inaugural year with the company.

“The role of an artistic director is complex. It’s nuanced. The obvious part is to be in the studio with the dancers, to nurture the dancers, to coach the dancers, to give the dancers the right opportunities,” said Garcia.

His guidance is exquisite, as CBS Miami learned for itself. One afternoon, CBS Miami joined Garcia for a coaching session.   

First up: a lesson in connection.

“If you’re not really looking at someone, we can see it. Look at him, that’s it. It already looks more natural,” said Garcia.

“Walk 5, 6, 7, 8 walk 1, 2, 3,” Garcia continued.

Then it was lift or two and a few moments on point, dancing side-by-side with the true professionals before wandering into the costume room. The room houses costumes for performances for the entire year, and there are about 40 years of costumes in the room. For CBS Miami, it was a day in the life, but the artists have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft.

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is gracing the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center until Dec. 28, but that’s just the beginning. The Miami City Ballet offers a lineup of dynamic performances throughout the year. For more information visit Miami City Ballet.