Lights twinkle from the rooftops of houses, holiday music streams from every radio station, people bustle through malls in search of the perfect gifts and ballerinas slip on their pointe shoes. The holiday season is in full effect, but it isn't complete without an annual production of "The Nutcracker."
Holly Holmes, a graduate student in the OU School of Dance, said the holidays just wouldn't be the holidays without the classical ballet.
"Christmas definitely needs 'The Nutcracker,'" Holmes said. "People need to make it a tradition because it's definitely worth seeing every year. It gets you into the spirit of Christmas."
Holmes' love for "The Nutcracker" goes beyond that of an avid attendee to the show. The dancer made her debut in the ballet as an angel when she was eight, and she has appeared in the show every year since. She has progressed through a variety of characters, and this year she will dance the part of the Dew Drop Fairy, Marzipan and a snowflake.
Mary Margaret Holt, director of the School of Dance and choreographer for "The Nutcracker," said she is delighted to have a wonderful student like Holmes in her program. She said Holmes' talent is displayed through her ability to play both the Dew Drop Fairy and Marzipan, two very divergent parts.
"She is a versatile dancer to perform both of these roles so well," Holt said.
Holmes' mother, Mary Ellen Schmidt, said she put her young child in dance classes at the age of four after she watched her daughter dance around the house constantly.
"I would play music, and she would do her own little routines," Schmidt said. "She would just always do it on her own."
Schmidt said she remembers how serious Holmes was as a young dancer. When other children were attending parties, Holmes was headed off to dance practices. She even stayed late at "Nutcracker" rehearsals to observe the older dancers.
"Holly's rehearsals would be done and the older girls would be practicing," Schmidt said. "She did not want to leave rehearsal. She was fascinated by the older girls."
During her adolescence, Holmes received a great amount of training by attending summer dance programs across the country. After graduating from W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, Holmes enrolled at the University of Utah. While majoring in ballet, she danced with the professional company, Ballet West. Holmes said her persistence and strong work ethic allowed her to overcome the pressure and mental intensity associated with performing in a professional environment.
"Dancing with Ballet West was a big challenge, just being in that professional atmosphere and having all that pressure," Holmes said. "My biggest challenge was stepping from being a university student to dancing professionally, but it was a good experience."
Following graduation from the University of Utah, Holmes was accepted to the OU School of Dance's graduate program. She is following her grandmother's footsteps by studying to be a dance instructor.
"I always admired that my grandmother had been a teacher for, like, 50-plus years," Holmes said. "I sort of always knew I wanted to teach, too."
Holmes has had some experience teaching dance classes and said she knows she will pursue a career in that field.
"I started teaching at my dance studio in high school. I really enjoyed that," Holmes said. "I love children, and I loved having my two loves, love of children and love of dance, coming together."
For the time being, Holmes said she is pleased to be studying at OU and performing in such a high-caliber program.
"I'm so excited to be here at OU," Holmes said. "It's such a neat program and a neat place."
Holmes said she encourages children and adults alike to attend the performances of "The Nutcracker" because it's a production that everyone can enjoy.
"I love 'The Nutcracker,'" Holmes said. "It's a classic because I feel like everybody can take something from it. You get to go into this fantasy world and become a child again and enjoy things that children do. I think everybody can relate to that. It's just so magical at Christmas time."
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