Photograph courtesy of Marty Sohl
Dancing Duo: Willow Glen residents Ramon Moreno (as Prince Alexias) and Maria Jacobs (as Marie) lead the cast in this year's 'Nutcracker' performances by Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley.
WG performers dance across the stage in the San Jose Nutcracker
Moreno and Jacobs say their profession is dream come true
By Moryt Milo
Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley danced its way into the hearts of 2,200 applauding and cheering elementary school children, as students from throughout the South Bay experienced the traditional holiday classic, The Nutcracker.
Ballet San Jose Executive Director and Willow Glen resident Andrew Bales says the ballet performs for 5,000 children each year. It sends docents into the schools to give them an idea of what to expect, "But when they come here it is a cultural entertainment experience," he says.
Bales says even when the students are experiencing The Nutcracker for the first time, "they still seem to know all the right places to scream and holler."
For two fourth-graders, Ankit Agarwal and Alex Karel, seeing their first Nutcracker was exciting, and when asked what they liked best, Karel says, "I liked the whole thing."
The Nutcracker is an annual holiday performance that tells the story of a young girl, Marie, who joins her family and friends for a holiday party and is given a nutcracker by her grandfather. Marie falls asleep and dreams that the nutcracker comes to life and takes her on a journey into a magical land.
Two of the principal dancers in Ballet San Jose's Nutcracker, Willow Glen residents Ramon Moreno, 27, and Maria Jacobs, 24, still find the story and music by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky exciting and enjoy dancing to it, even though the ballet is performed every holiday season.
Ballet San Jose was originally part of the San Jose Cleveland Ballet, until two years ago, when the Cleveland portion of the ballet had to close its doors because of financial problems. Half of the members from the Cleveland Ballet moved to San Jose and are now part of Ballet San Jose, Jacobs says.
Jacobs and Moreno, who moved from Cleveland to San Jose two years ago to continue with the ballet, say they were fortunate to find an apartment to share with several other company members in Willow Glen.
At this year's Flint Center performances--the past two seasons the dancers performed at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts--the dancers say it's hard to see the audiences because the seating area is so much darker. But Jacobs says not seeing the audience does not diminish the magic of performing.
"I watched from the audience for the first time, and I was so impressed," Jacobs says. "I know this is going to sound cheesy, but I thought it was magical."
Jacobs, who grew up in Ocala, Fla., describes her life as a ballet dancer as a dream come true.
At the age of five, Jacobs began dancing in her mother's ballet school, but at the same time she also had a passion for gymnastics and eventually had to choose between dance and gymnastics. When Jacobs received a scholarship from the Joffrey Ballet School in New York, at 10, her career path was set.
Moreno also started dancing at a young age. But in his country, Cuba, becoming a dancer was decided by the Cuban government.
"While in school, in Cuba, my teacher said, 'Tomorrow a ballet dancer will be coming to class and everyone will be tested.' The teacher said we had to do it, and I thought ballet meant salsa dancing, and it would mean no more 'matematicas'. So I liked the idea of dancing," Moreno says.
Moreno was accepted into dance school, but when he realized it wasn't the type of dancing he had imaged, he says, "I cried a lot because it was so hard."
But Moreno quickly grew to love the profession and, looking back, says, "I never thought I'd be a dancer, and think God put me here, and I say 'thank you.'"
Moreno's and Jacob's dedication to the profession enables them to perform in 22 performances over a three-week period, but it's not without physical sacrifices.
A few years ago, Jacobs broke her foot while dancing in class, and Moreno fractured part of his leg while dancing in Brazil. Both dancers say the profession is physically and mentally demanding.
"You have to work really hard ," Jacobs says. "It's fun and it's great, and we don't want to do anything else, but its not easy."
Moreno agrees with Jacobs and says, "Being a dancer requires practicing seven to eight hours a day."
Both dancers, who worked with Cleveland Ballet company founder and choreographer Dennis Nahat, say Ballet San Jose's version of The Nutcracker offers audiences a unique presentation.
"The choreography, the acting and the way he puts the music together really stands out more than other Nutcrackers," Jacobs says.
After the closing of the Cleveland Ballet, Nahat became artistic director of Ballet San Jose.
"He created a performance that is both entertaining for the audiences and the dancers," says ballet spokesman Lee Kopp.
Jacobs says the principals--there are six different lead casts--in The Nutcracker dance other roles besides the leading roles of Maria and the Prince.
"This is not a common practice," Jacobs says. "But it makes the performances fun. I get to be the grandmother and am looking forward to it."
Moreno, who will dance as the Czar and in the Polonaise, says that the first time he saw The Nutcracker all he could say was "Oh my god, it's so beautiful," and couldn't wait until he had the opportunity to be part of the performance.
The Nutcracker performances are at the Flint Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino, Dec. 7-Dec. 23. For information on performances, call 408.288.2800 or buy tickets online at www.balletsanjose.org.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
