Olivia Legowiecki, 11, dancing as Side Angel in Southland’s longest-running production of classic ballet
Perennial holiday favorite “The Nutcracker,” performed by the Westside Ballet of Santa Monica, is set to bring its enchanting magic to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica this season. In addition to starring two distinguished New York City Ballet principal dancers, Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia, the cast includes a newcomer, a young dancer from Malibu.
Olivia Legowiecki is just 11 years old and set to shine dancing the role of Side Angel in the Southland’s longest-running production of the classic ballet. This is Westside Ballet’s 51st annual production of the dazzling ballet that transports audiences to a whimsical, grand Victorian party, with a nutcracker come to life, and of course, a magical land of sweets.
Westside Ballet alumna Tiler Peck, now a principal with the New York City Ballet will reprise her virtuosic performance as the iconic Sugar Plum Fairy. Known for her exceptional grace and technical prowess, Peck has long served as an inspiration for young dancers in the Santa Monica company, such as Olivia and the other performers who are part of the production. Peck’s involvement in the production underscores her commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists and giving back to the artistic community that helped shape her career. For the young dancers and many others, Peck’s presence is a reminder of what dedication and hard work can achieve, embodying Westside Ballet’smission to cultivate and inspire young talent while instilling a love of the arts. It’s also an opportunity to be part of Westside Ballet’s legacy that connects artistry, tradition, and storytelling.
This year’s massive production includes as cast of 125 dancers who will grace the stage with a visual feast that includesthe familiar growing Christmas tree and the fierce battle between the mice and toy soldiers all set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s majestic score.
The Malibu newcomer to the production, Olivia, has only been dancing for a year, yet despite her relatively recent introduction to ballet her enthusiasm and hard work have already begun to pay off. She won the coveted beginner’s role as a devoted student of Westside Ballet. The youngster lives in Malibu, goes to school in Pacific Palisades, then trains most afternoons at the ballet studio in Santa Monica and now her hard work is paying off with an opportunity to let her talent shine as an angel in the cast.
The fifth-grader adores dancing, saying, “It’s very angelic and I love how people just like express their emotions in it.” Olivia’s emotions, she said, can run the gamut from “happy and jumpy to slow and graceful,” and that’s what she enjoys in her role as a dancing angel, the graceful movements. The young dancer, not in toe shoes dancing en pointe just yet, aspires to wear and dance in them as she hones her skills and advances in ballet. She says it might even be a career choice for her in the future. When she’s not rehearsing for her role in “The Nutcracker,” the 11-year-old likes to do typical youngster activities like play volleyball and basketball and engage in arts and crafts projects.
The artistic director of Westside Ballet, lifelong Malibu resident Martine Harley, commented that Olivia is a “well-rounded” dancer who also studies jazz dance as part of the curriculum at the studio.
Although audiences will be dazzled by the dancing of the principal performers, Harley said it will be mesmerizing to watch Olivia and a dozen other angels float onto the stage on top of a cloud of fog.
“The illusion is that they’re walking on clouds. They glide across the stage as if they’re not walking at all, as if they’rejust floating on clouds and so that’s one of the things that Olivia and her classmates have been working on, and they look really beautiful in it,” Harley said. “It’s wonderful because Olivia is at the start of her career with us and she’shaving her first Nutcracker with us and she’s going to grow through all the different roles that there are at Westside. It’sa magical experience.”
Performances begin Nov. 30 and run through Dec. 8. Go online to westsideballet.com for tickets.