The world-renowned Joffrey Ballet brought to the Chicago stage the beloved winter classic “The Nutcracker,” showcasing talent of their Chicago ballet dancers, including two young sisters from Oak Park.
Mabel and Poppy Baker, both students at Irving Elementary, shared the stage in this December’s production, which ran at the historic Lyric Opera House in Chicago.
The production was choreographed by Tony Award winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who earned his second Tony Award for best choreography for “MJ: The Musical.”
“The Nutcracker” tells the story of a young Marie who goes on an “unforgettable” journey through Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair and is set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score.
For the Baker sisters, dancing in the production was an exciting dream come true.
Poppy, eight, said she was inspired by “Leap!,” a 2016 animated film of a young orphan, Felicie, who dreams about becoming a ballerina and she began dancing around the age of two. Mabel, 10, also began around the same age.
Classically trained in ballet, Mabel said dancing in a Joffrey production is really cool because of how well-known the company is and the reputation it has for producing great dancers.
But this is not the first time Mabel danced with the Joffrey Ballet. She performed in last year’s production as well.
“I made a lot of friends that I still talk to, and a lot of my family came to see me so that was pretty special,” she said.
Being lifted in the air was also a highlight of performing, Mabel said.
“There are only a few people who get lifted up, you get to see the audience and the snow is falling at the same time,” she said. “It’s pretty cool when you are on the person’s shoulders.”
Poppy, who played a snowflake, auditioned for this year for the first time. However, after being cast, those nerves turned into excitement as she began attending rehearsals.
“My favorite part about practice was learning the choreography and all of the moves we are supposed to do as a snowflake,” Poppy said.
All that practice paid off on opening night as the sisters danced on the same stage as some of the most seasoned dancers with the Joffrey Ballet.
As expected, there were some pre-show jitters.
To calm the nerves, Poppy said she tries to talk herself down by telling herself to not worry about something that hasn’t happened, and Mabel draws from her previous experience in last year’s performance.
But it isn’t all work and no play, as both sisters said the community and friends they have built around ballet is one of their favorite parts about dancing.
Their family has also been a pillar of support because the girls are often busy with ballet lessons.
To manage what can sometimes be a hectic schedule, Andrew Baker and Ashleigh Baker, parents to the sisters, work together to tag-team the drives in and out of downtown Chicago, where the sisters dance.
“It is not easy,” said Andrew Baker. “Neither my wife or I work a traditional 9 to 5, so we have to get pretty creative on how we shuffle kids downtown and back, and there probably isn’t a week that goes by that we are not touch-and-go but you find a way.”
But those sacrifices are worthwhile, they said, when mom and dad get to see their daughters’ hard work showcased on the big stage.
Ashleigh Baker, mom to Mabel and Poppy, said she was in awe of her daughters.
“It takes a lot of confidence, particularly at age eight and 10, to dance alongside professional company members,” Ashleigh said. “I teared up with joy seeing them execute with poise and beaming smiles. Opening night was an incredibly memorable moment.”