PDT’s New Look at “The Nutcracker” – An Interview with Artistic Director Ashleigh Doede

At the end of each year young ballet dancers flock to see the magical Christmas story The Nutcracker while many others are actually performing in the ballet to the delight of their parents, siblings, and friends. Under the direction of Artistic Director Ashleigh Doede, the Pasadena Dance Theatre (PDT) will present their updated version of this enchanted tale on December 20 and 21, 2025 (see full schedule below). Leading roles will be performed by acclaimed artists Elise Holmes as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Lester Gonzalez as the Cavalier. Tickets are on sale now.

The Nutcracker is a two-act classical ballet conceived in 1892 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  choreographed by French and Russian dancer Marius Petipa and assisted by the Russian dancer and choreographer Lev Ivanov. Since then, The Nutcracker ballet has been performed by every major and regional ballet company around the world with different choreographers placing their own personal creative signature upon it. This includes modern dance choreographer Mark Morris’s The Hard Nut (1991)and Debbie Allen’s The Chocolate Nutcracker (2009) set in Harlem, New York.

Without changing the beloved music by Tchaikovsky,  PDT choreographer Jessamyn Vedro, has brought the story of young Clara’s adventures into the 21st Century. She was inspired, of course, by other choreographers’ versions of The Nutcracker but Vedro made it her own.

In Vedro’s version, the ballet takes a closer look into the life of Clara who is in her early teens, rather than having her portrayed as a twelve year old.  As the PDT press release states, “Vedro’s interpretation follows Clara’s coming-of-age journey, through a vivid dreamscape where she travels the world, encountering dances from China, France, Ukraine, Egypt, Scotland, and Spain. Along the way, Clara learns to embrace courage, curiosity, and joy, transforming the beloved ballet into a story of empowerment, imagination, and discovery.”

Although this is her first year as Artistic Director of PDT, Ashleigh Doede is now in her fifth year as its Conservatory Director. In addition, she is dancer, choreographer and Associate Director of the Nancy Evans Dance Theatre. Taking time out of her very busy schedule, Doede agreed to an interview with dance writer Jeff Slayton.

Previously, Doede had resisted taking on the Artistic Director position at PDT, but this year when it was offered to her again, things were different.

“I felt like I have a pretty well-oiled machine with the conservatory and I have an operations manager helping me to keep that going,” Doede explained, “So I can take this position on and do all the productions. I’ve been with PDT for almost 16 years as dancer and teacher, and I’ve really learned the inside out of this organization.”

While maintaining the tradition of training and the authenticity of ballet and the strictness of discipline created over the years since the company was founded in 1958 by Ms. Evelyn LeMone, Doede stated that she was working on making the organization more inclusive and inspiring more excitement in the young dancers.

“They are leading the show, which is what I really wanted to bring back,” she added.

One of the statements in PDT’s press release that caught my eye was “Pasadena Dance Theatre invites audiences to rediscover the magic of the holidays with its fresh and imaginative production of The Nutcracker!.” I asked Doede to elaborate.

Doede explained that after Artistic Director Cynthia Young left PDT, she and choreographer Vedro wanted to do everything brand new and, while honoring tradition, give The Nutcracker a bit more depth and allow the kids to drive the show.  Doede feels that this is currently possible because the training is up to par and the students are excited to be there.

“Clara is led by a senior dancer, one of our older advanced conservatory students, and it’s a coming-of-age story for her,” Doede said. “Like in the party scene, you get zoomed into her perspective. “As a teenager, you don’t want to listen to your parents, and so the mother is telling Clara that it’s time to grow up, put on a nice dress, here’s a party and so stop playing around.”

Doede describes Clara as a kind of tomboy and in the opening scenes the audience sees her exploring, reading a book, wearing a pirate hat and wanting to travel the world. The party scene is filled with young children and teenagers, so one sees Clara interacting with her friends, her peers while the grownups are in the background. Vedro created a more stylized depiction of the parents who act separated by interacting less with the children. Then Hans, Dosselmeyer’s nephew and Clara’s love interest arrive at the party. This intensifies Clara’s internal struggle with remaining a child versus growing up. The action then transitions into a dream sequence.

“One of the things I love about our fight scene is the parents turn in the rats,” Doede said gleefully. “So we have half parent, half rat, so it’s a little bit creepier in that way in that the people who are against her, the monsters, are the parents because they want her to grow up, and she’s ‘I don’t want to do that.”

There are other twists and turns that bring PDT’s The Nutcracker into the 21st Century by embracing womanhood, being more culturally diverse, and via a few innovations in costuming. Instead of Clara going to the Land of the Sweets, she travels to different countries. I, however, am not going to be the one to spoil all the fun.

Doede described Vedro as a very musical choreographer, that she has choreographed a beautiful duet for Clara and Hans, and that her partnering is bit a more neoclassical because these dancers are still young and learning how to partner.

“My whole goal as Artistic Director is to change ballet in a way that will keep the tradition, the discipline, but where can we go that it is more inclusive,” Doede asked. “I love modern dance and contemporary work, and the storytelling, the depth of story. Let’s do that with every production. The story is really woven throughout Vedro’s movement and I’m thrilled to bring it back this year and the kids are super excited. There’s a ton of dancing for them.”

Over the past twenty plus years Doede has performed many different roles in The Nutcracker but decided that she presently has enough to handle in her first year as artistic director. She stressed, however, that she is fortunate to have an excellent production team assisting her with the business end of running PDT. Perhaps in the future Doede may take on the role of the Hostess but says that she no longer dances on pointe.

“I think for the kids, it’s a big milestone,” Doede said. “Every year they have goals they can set – and the community! I love that they come together. So, yes, a Nutcracker every year, but it is tremendously good for the school and the kids can relate to the characters.”

While discussing former students at the PDT conservatory seeking out a professional career, Doede said that just last year one of their seniors, Amy Sauer, got a traineeship at Ballet Magnificat, a Christian based company based in Mississippi. Alumni Elise Holmes, who’s dancing the Sugar Plum, has performed with PDT and Ballet San Jose. Camille Curtin who is performing the role of Mrs. Stahlbaum, Clara’s mother, is additionally a PDT alumni and has also danced professionally.

“We do produce kids who can go out and get a job,” Doede said proudly.

When I asked her if she would be choreographing for PDT in the future, Doede said yes, that she would love to work more with the company. As artistic director, she told the board that she wanted to bring back PDT’s full season. They presented a fall 2025 fundraiser, now The Nutcracker, and in 2026 there will be the spring fundraiser, and the spring Conservatory performance. Doede is currently thinking about creating a new and original story ballet, not one that is already known.

Doede would like LADC readers to know that although all the lead roles in The Nutcracker are performed by their most advanced students, the conservatory is made up of mostly children. PDT Conservatory is not an audition-based school and everyone is welcome to come in to dance and to experience the beauty of ballet and expressing themselves.

“With our Nutcracker too, the audition is you’re in. We’re just figuring out where everyone can be put into the production,” Doede said. “In future years, if you see the production and you feel inspired to dance with us, just walk in. We’ll take you, we’ll train you up and you will feel comfortable on stage.

“I want people to know that PDT is for everyone. We have the high expectation of our professional training but you will still have a good time and get to be on a big stage.”

PDT’s production of The Nutcracker sounds exciting and innovative, and one of their goals is to bring people together for the holidays.

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WHAT: Pasadena Dance Theatre present The Nutcracker.
WHEN:

December 19 at 10am — Community Show
December 19 at 6pm — Opening Gala
December 20 at 2pm + 7pm — Performances!
December 21 at 12pm + 5pm — Performances!

WHERE: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel, CA. 91776.

TICKETS: $28.70 – $78.70 including fees  – to purchase tickets, please go to https://ci.ovationtix.com/36849/production/1255288

To learn more about Pasadena Dance Theatre, please visit their website.

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Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.

Featured image: Pasadena Dance Theatre in The Nutcracker – Photo by Wolf Austad.