Ballet students, Joie Dooloukas, Maya Douglas, Isabella Trego and Addyson Wiener, from Dance Etc. in Milford, Ohio, will perform in this year’s Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker at Music Hall. They auditioned in August with about 130 other youth and were chosen to be part of the Young Performers cast which includes dancers ages eight to 18 from the Greater Cincinnati area. Each of them will perform in eight of The Nutcracker shows this month.

Pictured left to right: Addyson Wiener, Joie Dooloukas, Isabella Trego. Front: Maya Douglas. Photo provided.

This wasn’t the first time for Dance Etc. students to perform in The Nutcracker. Each year for the last 23 years, Dance Etc. has been represented with at least one student in the cast. Anne Kramer, Owner and Artistic Director of Dance Etc., said, “It is such an honor for the dancers who are chosen for this cast. I’m so proud of these students. I think their experience being on our competition teams gave them skills and confidence for their successful auditions.”

Joie Dooloukas, age 14, plays the role of a soldier. Joie is an eighth grader at Goshen Middle School and has been dancing for 11 years.

Maya Douglas, age 10, plays a fluffy baby chick. She is a fourth grader at the School of Creative and Performing Arts and has been dancing for eight years.

Isabella Trego, age nine, plays a snowball. She is a fourth grader at Willowville Elementary School and has been dancing for six years.

Addyson Wiener, age nine, plays a snowball. She is a fourth grader at Salem Township Elementary School and has been dancing for six years.

The Nutcracker runs from December 19-29 and tickets are available through the Cincinnati Ballet box office at https://cballet.org/.

In business since 1996, Dance Etc. is a full-service dance and tumbling studio, offering top-notch instruction in a wide variety of dance styles and tumbling techniques, including recreational classes and competitive teams. Only employing the area’s most qualified and talented teachers, Dance Etc. is committed to providing every student first class instruction in a friendly and fun atmosphere. For information about dance and tumbling classes, please call 513-576-1400 or visit www.dance-etc.com.