Vail Friends of Dance focuses on community outreach this holiday season

Vail Friends of Dance’s annual Nutcracker ballet supports a sense of community and holiday cheer, and this season the dancers are also focusing on community outreach.

The group consists of Vail Valley Academy of Dance, which has been providing classes ranging from ballet to contemporary dance, tap, jazz, hip-hop and more. The Vail Youth Ballet Company offers students at VVAD additional training and performance opportunities. In total, 95 dancers will perform on the Vilar stage this weekend, including two first-time shows with STARS, since “The Nutcracker” has been selling out its four consecutive performances in the past few years.

“It’s very exciting that kids get to see 60 minutes of the show. We’re putting ourselves out there in front of the community,” said Ashley Calligan, VVAD owner and artistic director.

And, younger kids aren’t the only demographic the dancers are reaching; this is the first year they visited elders at Castle Peak Senior Center.

“I think that they learned that no matter anybody’s age, they’re always going to enjoy dancing and music, and if they can bring it to them — for people who can’t necessarily come to the shows, it makes a big difference for their community and also understanding that we always can give back no matter what,” she said. “It’s good for our kids to be able to give back to the community that supports them throughout the year in any way that they can, whether it is going to the senior center or performing at the STARS performances this year.”

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In addition to empowering young people and promoting artistic excellence, one of their core missions involves building “a vibrant arts community by making dance accessible, fostering local talent and bringing the community together through the joy of dance,” according to the website.

Overall, the four performances attract about 2,000 attendees. They require approximately 1,000 volunteer hours to pull off the show, with more than 80 parents stepping up to help.

Mikaela Gifford, a senior dancer in this year’s production, participated in last month’s “Barbie in The Nutcracker” free movie community event to inspire young kids to dance with an hour-long meet-and-greet, followed by the screening and a drawing for a free taira, tickets to “The Nutcracker” and other giveaways.

“It gives me goosebumps to watch the dancers interact with these little young people and talk to them about their costumes,” said Meggen Kirkham, Vail Friends Of Dance board president. “It’s just truly special.”

They also dressed in costumes to tour the senior center in Eagle, which allowed dancers to visit with elders and see some of the care levels. Last year, they provided a special rate and accessible seating for people at the Golden Eagle Senior Center to see “The Nutcracker,” and they’re offering the same promotion this year.

“Between the two events, they were the absolute most magical special days, not only, obviously, for the residents of the senior center and the kids that came to the movie, but also for our dancers. It was interesting going from one event to the other because they’re interacting with 2- and 3- and 4-year-olds at the movie, and then over at the senior center, it’s the other end of the spectrum. But the interactions are not that different. The seniors were asking so many questions, and they sat there talking to some of them for 10 or 15 minutes about their costumes and their role. Just to be able to brighten their day and bring that joy — that’s what I saw. It brought extra smiles, and to be able to do that for both the children at the community event and then the seniors at the senior center is special,” Kirkham said. “It’s the first step to a continued and enhanced relationship (with seniors). We would love to come in and do a little pop-up performance sometime.”

Gifford values these events, not only because they raise awareness for “The Nutcracker,” but also because she loves seeing the joy within everyone in the presence of the dancers.

“From the little girls who came to watch the movie to the older folks at the senior center, it is so special to watch their faces light up seeing you dressed in a sparkling tutu,” Gifford said. “I personally love seeing people overcome with joy, and I find it really special to be the spark that lights that flame. When I can make a positive difference in my community, I value making the choice to pursue that. I appreciate VYBC/VFOD and their commitment to bringing those positive differences across the valley. I take pride knowing our impact is across the valley, so many people can enjoy the magic that is the Nutcracker ballet.” 

After “The Nutcracker” Saturday show, performers talk to audience members, young and old, for a meet-and-greet.

“Anybody from the audience, from 2-year-olds on up to 90-year-olds, can come and walk on stage and interact and meet the dancers and get photos with the dancers,” Kirkham said.

Just like any other performance between artists and audiences, a two-way energetic exchange of inspiration takes place.

“As kids grow up in this production, they get to see the older kids having such a good time, and it gives them motivation to want to keep doing it each year. They put so much work into it between September and December that getting to do it four times makes it worth all the work that they put in,” Calligan said.