PHOENIX — With just a few weeks before their annual production of The Nutcracker, a West Valley dance studio had their trailer stolen, and it was full of years’ worth of set pieces.
The Nutcracker, put on by Jataba Dance Troupe, is known to be one of the longest-running Nutcracker productions in the Valley.
For more than 40 years, the non-profit that operates through Spisak Dance Academy in Glendale, has found that some of those cast as baby angels stay with the company long enough to get a chance to shine center stage as Clara.
Henry Barraza has two girls in this year’s production, one of whom is a senior.
”Last recital, last competitions, and the biggest thing is the last Nutcracker,” he said.
For a show that starts its production each year in the heat of August, followed by rehearsal seven days a week, the set has grown over the years. In the off-season, the pieces are nestled away in a trailer only to be unboxed in the fall.
A few weeks ago, Barraza and another parent walked to the back of the studio where they thought the trailer was.
We looked at each other like, “Where’s the trailer?” he said.
Henry admits he thought the trailer was safe behind their dance studio.
With less than a month before the curtain goes up, thousands of dollars worth of custom set pieces rolled away by what some would call – an evil mouse king.
”This is a big hit for us, but the show will continue to go on. It has to,” said Katie Buchkowski.
Before Buchkowski was a dance teacher with the company, she was a three-year-old as a baby angel in the show.
She says the loss of the set pieces came somewhat as a reminder that the company has a little Christmas magic in the form of some dedicated parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who scrounged together some of what was lost to keep the sugar plum dreams alive.
”It’s another lesson to give to these children on how to step up, how to be a helper, how to join in when trouble is there,” said Buchkowski.
The show is slated for December 16 at Deer Valley High School.
A GoFundMe account was started in the hope of funding a new trailer but if you see the old one, call the dance studio.
