Eglevsky Ballet will bring an all-new production of “The Nutcracker” to the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts this December, marking a major artistic milestone for the historic Long Island company. The performances — set for Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. — will feature original choreography by Artistic Director Peter LeBreton Merz, with live accompaniment by the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony under the baton of David Bernard.
Guest stars Miriam Miller and Tyler Angle, both principal dancers with New York City Ballet, will headline the production. The company says the updated staging promises sweeping visuals, a full cast of students and professionals, and a reinvigorated approach to a cherished holiday classic.
For Merz, who joined Eglevsky Ballet as artistic director in September, the project is both an honor and a responsibility.
“The amazing thing about Eglevsky Ballet is that it was founded in 1961, and I’m only the eighth artistic director,” he said. “This is really a Long Island legacy.”
Merz said the transition has been unexpectedly seamless.
“It has been such an amazing experience — so welcoming, so wonderful,” he said. “There are families that have been part of Eglevsky Ballet for generations, and I take very seriously the responsibility to uphold the legacy of excellence of the company.”
A Dayton, Ohio, native, Merz trained with the Dayton Ballet and later danced professionally with Louisville Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. He has spent more than 30 years teaching and choreographing around the country and has worked with multiple ballet competitions.
“I grew up in Dayton and danced with the ballet until I was about 18,” he said. “I’ve taught all over the country, and bringing all that knowledge and experience to Long Island has been really exciting.”
This season’s “Nutcracker” is entirely new, built from the ground up in just a few months.
“All the choreography has been created since I joined in September — we started absolutely from scratch,” Merz said. “It’s a chance to see a new imagining of the story. There will be a couple of scenic elements that are surprises.”
The production includes 84 students and 16 professional dancers, many of whom commute from New York City for rehearsals. The staging also relies on a large team of costume designers, volunteers and technical artists.
“It takes a big team,” Merz said. “It’s coordinating a huge number of people and all of their efforts, making sure everything ends up producing the best possible performances.”
While “The Nutcracker” is steeped in tradition, Merz sees plenty of room for originality — within reason.
“There’s a lot of expectation that comes along with this ballet,” he said. “It’s probably the one most people know best, so it’s a challenge to balance the historic expectations with the desire to thrill and delight people.”
Even so, Merz said his version incorporates expanded choreography that takes advantage of a larger cast of professionals.
“The snow scene and the ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ are much more complicated than I’ve been able to mount in the past,” he said.
Merz’s approach to the classic reflects his broader view of ballet as a living art form.
“I have so much respect for the great choreographers and composers of the past,” he said. “But I also love ballet and know that unless we are infusing it with new life and new ideas, how will it ever grow and evolve?”
His goal, he said, is to welcome longtime ballet enthusiasts while also appealing to new audiences.
“I want to make ballets that would appeal to people who know nothing about ballet,” he said. “Ballet is so wonderful — you get to see people doing amazing things with their bodies — and when people experience it, they can get drawn into it in a way that’s so surprising.”
To assemble this year’s company, Merz held open auditions in Manhattan. He said the turnout exceeded expectations.
“Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. We actually got very lucky this year,” he said. “They have been so responsive and so excited about the project.”
He sees the collaboration between Long Island and professional dancers from New York City as essential to Eglevsky Ballet’s mission.
“New York City is one of the cultural capitals of the entire world,” he said. “To be working that closely with that community, and earning their respect and excitement about our projects, is really great for Eglevsky Ballet.”
The organization’s home studio remains in Bethpage, close to the border with Hicksville, and the company continues to embrace the legacy of its founder, André Eglevsky, who once brought some of the world’s greatest dancers to Nassau County. Merz said he is proud to help carry that tradition forward — and surprised by how natural it has felt so far.
“Honestly, I wanted to be an artistic director since I was 12,” he said. “I have been most surprised by how exciting it has been.”
Merz said the production has come together “so quickly and so easily,” due to both the students and the professionals around him.
“I’ve been surprised by how easy and wonderful it’s been,” he said. “I’ve really loved my time here so far, and if this is how it starts, I can only see it getting better.”
Eglevsky Ballet will perform “The Nutcracker” at Tilles Center in Brookville on Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. More information is available at eglevskyballet.org.
