Paige - MPBT Youth Ambassador

Ballet has officially been part of me for half of my life. I started when I was 8 years old and have loved it since the very start. Everything about ballet, specifically: the attention to detail, the people it involves, the end result of understanding what you are doing. The moments when I really knew that I wanted to pursue a professional route were the moments with the Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre. I was in my first Nutcracker when I was 9; I was a Child at the Party and Snowdust. Back then I didn’t understand how my not-knowing-the-next-step body helped with a picture moment, but I knew I loved being on stage. The counting before entering stage and the picture perfect smile were what made me want to do MPBT again and again. These were the moments that followed me to my first ever lead, which was Chef, Reed Pipe, and then life-changing Clara. Last year for Nutcracker, I was Princess Clara/Grande Pas and I’m glad to be revisiting the choreography this year as Sugar Plum Fairy. 

MPBT has become a huge part of my life and I would not change it for anything. It’s why I wanted to become a Youth Ambassador (YA) in the first place. The reason I want to stay a YA is to be a person that helps my peers. I want my fellow dancers to be able to come to me with suggestions and ideas so I can relay it back to the MPBT Board. Helping and being a part of a community is so important to me and I’m excited for this 2025 Nutcracker!

Photo credit @amberkane.photography