Dancing Lead in The Nutcracker
By Celeste McNeil; photos courtesy of Alison Derbenwick Miller
Blake enjoys the excitement of being part of the theater and plans to continue with performing.
Blake Miller started dancing ballet in 2019. This holiday season he landed one of the lead roles in Denver Ballet Theatre Academy’s (DBTA) production of The Nutcracker.
After encouragement from a cousin who is a ballet dancer, Miller took a ballet class. “I liked the ‘tryout’ class, so I decided to keep going. I attended a summer intensive and then became a regular student in the fall. My first Nutcracker was in 2019,” Miller said.
Currently a seventh grade student at Rocky Heights Middle School, Miller attends ballet class six days a week, practicing multiple hours a day. Production rehearsals are additional to his regular practice schedule. “When we were rehearsing for Nutcracker, sometimes I was at ballet all day on Saturday, plus extra hours during the week.All the hours in the dance studio paid off for Miller this year. He auditioned for The Nutcracker and was chosen to play a few parts, including Fritz, as well as supporting roles in both acts – a Patineur, mouse and a Russian dancer. “I was very happy with the roles I got, especially Fritz. I remember that when the cast list came out, my throat was burning from how loud I was screaming!”
Rocky Heights Middle School seventh grade student Blake Miller started ballet two years ago. This past holiday season he landed a leading role in Denver Ballet Theatre Academy’s Nutcracker. Miller additionally danced several supporting roles in this year’s production,
including a Russian dancer, asseen in costume after one of the four 2021 performances (far left).
“It was a really big deal for Blake to land a lead role at such an early point in his ballet career,” said his mom, Alison. “We were thrilled for him, and also a little nervous about how much pressure he’d be under. There were some touch-and-go moments, but the artistic directors at DBTA were very supportive, and it was so wonderful to see Blake succeed on the stage. We were so proud!”
Alison’s worries were not unfounded. Blake said “being in a lead role is really stressful. Sometimes it was hard to balance the time commitment with school and my other interests and seeing my friends. From a ballet perspective, I had to learn some new jumps – and that was hard too.”
Overall, the experience was positive for Blake. He enjoyed the excitement of being in the theater, backstage, and of course on stage too. “The best part is being on stage with the audience there. The Russian dance got tons of applause in all four shows,” he enthused.
Blake has been a performer since he was a young child, singing in choirs or playing the violin and piano. His other interests include languages – he’s taking Chinese at school this year – and crochet, but stage performance will probably be a part of his life for many years to come.
“Someday I’d like to become a linguist or a graphic designer. I’d like to keep performing in something – maybe musicals or plays, or maybe ballet,” said Blake.
