As the mornings grow colder and the nights come sooner, the holiday season is well on its way, starting with California’s Academy of Performing Arts’ (CAPA) “The Nutcracker.” From CAPA’s carefully curated set design, to its unique costumes, this show is a favorite Lamorinda family tradition. For the past 43 years, CAPA has trained thousands of dancers in various forms of dance, including ballet, contemporary, tap, and musical theatre. Some of these dancers have even become professionals and gone on to perform in widely-known dance companies around the world. Located in Moraga, Calif., CAPA is not only a pre-professional company, but a community of dedicated dancers who are sharing the love of dance while building professional relationships and being prepped for real-life experiences after they graduate.
“CAPA, to me, is a supportive community where dancers can grow both technically and artistically. There is a strong sense of kinship here at CAPA, where the studio and students feel like home and family,” junior Addison Kim said. Kim has been dancing at CAPA since the age of eight and has enjoyed it every year.
The commitment of the dancers is evident through any of their performances, whether that consists of 8-hour-long rehearsals on a Sunday night, or being in and out of the studio every day of the week for class, these dancers are promoting the best versions of themselves, culminating in their performances of the annual “Nutcracker.”
“The Nutcracker” is a huge ballet phenomenon showcased throughout the world. Originating in 1816, in Germany, by E.T.A Hoffman — later adapted by Alexandre Dumas Père — came up with the fairytale story of a girl named Clara, who receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas, which later comes to life. The characters embark on a journey to different lands where they enjoy different festive dances and are greeted by different characters along the way. Alexandre Dumas Père had Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky compose music for “The Nutcracker,” which is still most commonly used to this day by a number of different companies, including CAPA.
CAPA’s version of “The Nutcracker” is one of their most well-known productions. CAPA staff collaborate to create a production that includes ballet as well as different forms like contemporary dance. Although CAPA involves their own narrative in each performance, co-directors Lisa Pitts and Rachel Chew ensure to keep the traditional aspect of the story.
“We are very respectful of the classics, and we do very minimal tweaks when it comes to the storyline, and if anything, what we tweak would be choreography. At the same time, we do have some little nods to our own CAPA traditions with new characters,” Pitts said. CAPA gets creative with their telling of the story; for example, studio owner Joan Borchers came up with an entirely new character, the “dream fairy.” The character is one of the main roles, and has an entire scene dedicated to it: specifically, the Dream Scene, where Clara falls asleep and her Nutcracker doll comes to life. Another difference in their “Nutcracker” performance is that they have the entire performance narrated. This helps ensure that viewers understand what is going on. After the two-hour performance of “The Nutcracker,” CAPA offers a 45-minute holiday concerto where they showcase their performing ensembles other than ballet.
CAPA employs a number of staff that put in hours of personal time in order to get things up and running for these performances. “We have a lot of people involved this year. In total, we have 231 students ranging from ages 6-18 who are participating in ‘The Nutcracker,’ which I think is wild. But the end goal is just to create a great production where the kids look good [and] feel good,” Pitts said.
California Academy of Performing Arts’ performances of “The Nutcracker” and their holiday concerto will be held from Dec. 4-7, 2025, with matinee and evening shows on the 6th and 7th. They have special concerto nights on the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th, evening performances only. “I have been participating in CAPA’s performances since the age of 8, and I have enjoyed my time since. Ever since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of dancing and being a ballerina and I am so grateful for every opportunity I get to dance here at CAPA.” Kim said. As the dancers prepare for opening night of “The Nutcracker,” anticipation grows throughout the Lamorinda community. Audiences of all ages are welcome to experience the holiday spirit filled production of the California Academy of Performing Arts’ “The Nutcracker.”
