Retired pro dancers transform Park City’s Nutcracker into family affair

Allison DeBona directing Nutcracker rehearsals with her son Ranger, 7 weeks old at the time. Photo: Jen Thorn

PARK CITY, Utah — It’s 7:30 p.m. on a November Friday night in Park City, Utah, and it’s dumping snow. While most high schoolers are out cheering on the local football team or hitting up a movie with their friends, the young dancers at the Ballet West Academy Peggy Bergmann Campus in Park City are swirling and twirling inside the Ballet West studios, creating their own type of snowstorm: the “Waltz of the Snowflakes” in preparation for their debut in the school’s Nutcracker Suite presentation on Dec. 7.

Principal of the school Allison DeBona yells “again,” in between stolen kisses from her 1-year-old Ranger, who toddles between the tutus and tiaras in his little Nike kicks – far more comfortable than the satin pointe shoes donned by the girls dancing en pointe. Pointe shoes allow the dancers to seemingly float across the stage on their toes. They are comprised of layers of fabric and cardboard held together by pastes. Are they comfortable? No. Do they hurt? Yes. But tonight, these dancers are pushing through the pain, the sweat, the tears and the doubts because they are being coached by two of the best in the dance education world, married and retired professional dancers, DeBona and Rex Tilton.

Alastair Macauley, Dance Critic for the New York Times once wrote of Rex: “Rex Tilton may well be the most versatile young male dancer in America.”

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DeBona and Tilton met while dancing professionally for Ballet West in 2008. A company rich in Utah history, it is 61 years old this year. They both grew up in families deeply entrenched in the performing arts; all of Tilton’s six siblings were dancers, two of his brothers danced professionally for Ballet West and San Francisco Ballet, and DeBona’s brother Jordan DeBona toured the world as a Broadway star.

To say the theater and performing arts were part of their upbringing would be an understatement – it was their life. After hanging up their dance shoes professionally, DeBona and Tilton had over 40 years of shared experience and industry knowledge. They felt a responsibility and urgency to pass their wisdom on to the next generation. They also wanted to do it in a way that fostered community, prioritized family and broke down previously existing barriers to the world of theater and the performing arts. For them, the Nutcracker Suite in Park City, originally choreographed and produced by DeBona and Tilton, was the perfect way to do just that.

“Now we have two of our own children who are in the studio all day with us during long Nutcracker rehearsals, so it was natural for us to create a family-friendly production. If we are dragging them to work with us, whatever we are doing has to be engaging enough for a 1-year-old and a 5-year-old. Each of our studios in Park City has windows, and many classes and rehearsals are ‘open door’ to the families of our dancers,” DeBona said.

“Parents aren’t just dropping their children off outside with no idea what we do with them for five hours. We strive to create an inviting atmosphere where parents feel welcome to come inside our space and even bring along the siblings of their dancers. Big brothers and little sisters alike are watching from the windows, or we are inviting them in to be a mock audience for our dancers rehearsing – there is nothing more rewarding than watching their little faces as they are transformed by the music, the costumes and the magic that is The Nutcracker.”

Not only are parents invited to observe inside the studio, but several parents will also be performing onstage alongside their children this year. “Many of these parents have no dance or theater background, but because we have created an environment where all ages and abilities feel welcome, they wanted to be included in the wonder, and we provided them with the encouragement and opportunity to allow them to feel comfortable doing just that,” DeBona says.

Sayre Stowell is debuting in the role of Clara this year, and her mother, Andrea Stowell, will be performing in the role of Clara’s mother. Andrea Stowell grew up dancing and danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre in New York City.

Levi Thorn, father of Eva Thorn, will be playing the role of Clara’s father and has no dance or theater background but says, “I just wanted to immerse myself in my daughter’s world for a moment. Eva loves to dance and perform, and now I am beginning to understand why. Neither she nor I will forget this wonderful experience!”

While all ages and abilities will be performing this year, make no mistake, the individuals coaching our Park City artists are anything but amateurs – and it is a true family affair. Husband and wife team DeBona and Tilton danced professionally for over 20 years, and Ballet West Park City’s musical theater coach is Jordan DeBona. DeBona says, “When our Sugar Plum fairy and Snow Queen (played by Annika Brown, Elizabeth Heaps and Quinn Cracolice this year) are rehearsing in the studio, it’s Rex who is not only coaching them but dancing with them when their male counterparts are unavailable.” Put into professional sports terms, that would be like having LeBron James personally coach your kid in basketball or Ted Ligety privately teaching your child how to execute the perfectly carved ski turn.

The Ballet West Academy Park City students are learning from some of the very best in their field and being given opportunities some would only dream of. And for DeBona and Tilton, their purpose and passion go far beyond education as they feel a genuine urgency to break down barriers to the art form.

“We have an obligation to our youth. We need to introduce them to the richness of the arts, starting at a young age, by making it affordable. There won’t be a future generation if we don’t. The Park City Nutcracker Suite is an opportunity for us to open the theater doors and create an affordable and family-friendly holiday tradition that will captivate audience members of all ages. We want our audience to never forget the first time they experienced the Nutcracker ballet,” DeBona said.

Ballet West Park City has 180 dancers, and 150 of them will be performing in this year’s Nutcracker Suite. Come and unlock the enchantment of the season with THE Park City family holiday tradition on Dec. 7. Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Eccles Center in Park City. Tickets can be purchased through the Ballet West Academy website and are $5 for children ages 0-11 and $18 for ages 12 and up. Show run time is one hour and 15 minutes with intermission.