A Nutcracker Christmas, Beloved Family Tradition Back at Legacy

ALACHUA ‒ The Christmas spirit was alive and well in Alachua last Saturday night. The Gainesville based professional ballet company Dance Alive National Ballet (DANB) has been performing the Nutcracker for 56 years with hundreds of touring performances and over 30 school programs in the Continental United States. Over the past five years it has also become a Christmas tradition in Alachua as well.

The Nutcracker is an important part of the dance company’s history, and even in 2020 when many entertainment performances were canceled, the Nutcracker performance went on in Alachua’s new Legacy Park Outdoor Amphitheater where social distancing could be observed.

Last year there was a change of venues due to concerns about possible rain and the performance was moved indoors to the Legacy Park Multipurpose center. Neither the threat of bad weather nor the change of venue deterred an enthusiastic audience. This year, despite low temperatures from a cold front, an estimated 750 to 850 bundled up in coats and blankets, sitting on lawn chairs to watch the Nutcracker as more than 30 dancers performed in the almost two-hour show that is set on Christmas Eve.

Dance Alive is a dance academy and professional dance troupe that has always been the heart and soul of the Pofahl family. In 1966, professional dancer and teacher Mary Ellen Pofahl founded the DANB company and it has continued through the talents and efforts of her daughters, Judy Skinner and Kim Tuttle. Tuttle serves as Artistic Director and Skinner is Choreographer-In-Residence.

Pofahl Studios is the official school of DANB, and the faculty have been selected for their professional knowledge of a particular dance discipline as well as the ability to teach a particular age or ability level. The instructors also take part in performances by the DANB. According to Tuttle, the primary concern of the faculty is the development of each student’s skill and appreciation for the art of dance, teaching respect for their teachers and fellow students, and the development of their own personal self-esteem. Many of the school's students have gone on to professional dance careers throughout the world.

Both Skinner and Tuttle actively teach at the school as well as run the DANB. The Nutcracker performance is one of their best known and attended shows. During December, the company will perform the Nutcracker at a variety of venues, combining music and dance with one of the best-known Christmas stories, while keeping alive a half century tradition.

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