Senior Dancers in Ballet Western Reserve's production of "The Nutcracker" include, kneeling from left, Addie Kelley and Rachel Theis and, standing from left, Riley Wilson and Alexandra Popovich. (Submitted photo)

Danielle Perrotta is in her first year as artistic director of Ballet Western Reserve.

Well, sort of.

Perrotta is a New Castle native with nearly 20 years of teaching experience. She’s been an instructor at the Youngstown ballet school since 2016 and its school’s director since 2018.

“Last year we were without an artistic director, so I kind of took it by the reins,” she said. “I wasn’t formally the director but I took over that role.”

She has the title and the responsibility for this year’s production of “The Nutcracker,” which will be staged Saturday and Sunday at Powers Auditorium.

BWR has taken different approaches to the holiday perennial that is the most-produced ballet, at least in the United States. In 2019 the company staged a jazz version of “The Nutcracker” which used big band music instead of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s score to tell the story of a girl who receives a nutcracker as a gift on Christmas Eve that inspires magical dreams.

This year’s production will hew closer to tradition.

“We’re using the classic Tchaikovsky score,” Perrotta said. “Even though it’s a classic ballet, it has a lot of opportunities to play. There are a lot of different ways to tell the story. Last year we had a female play the Drosselmyer character. This year we went back to a male, but we change it according to who we have cast in that role. It’s fun to play with each one and put our own little spin on each scene.”

One thing BWR’s production has that many dance companies of its size can’t offer is a live orchestra featuring members of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Not only does it bring the Tchaikovsky score to life, it provides a valuable educational experience for the dancers.

“The opportunity to work with a professional orchestra is a huge advantage for our students going forward with dance as a career,” Perrotta said. “They’re learning to take cues from the orchestra. We have to train them to watch the conductor for musical cues. All those little nuances and skills are necessary for a professional career.”

This year’s cast features more than 70 performers, ranging from the school’s youngest student dancers to adults in nondancing roles, like the party guests at the beginning of the ballet. The cast includes both siblings and multiple generations from the same family.

The cast features (in alphabetical order): Clara Barrett, Leah Beckert, Serenity Boatwright, Adrienne Booth, Neale Booth, Nina Boyer, Addison Campbell, Julie Conti, Ava Carbon, Pauline Conti, Michael Cotton, Amelia Crawford, Rosemary Dellamaggiore, Ella DeVries, Tessa Dolan, Constance Fabek, Norah Fenstermaker, Amanda Fetty, Madelyn Fetty, Diana Gates, Julie Gates, Amia Gatta, Hannah Gettemy, Demi Hennegan, Annika Hileman, Sofia Hinkle, Kait Howard, Jericho Johnson, Josephine Johnson, Maya Jones, Stella Kasten, Addie Kelley, Rogan Kelly, Olivia Kusky, Anna Lloyd

Mira Martin, Lila McCrea, Alexis McCrea, Ella McGee, Mila Medure, Isla Merrick, Camille Miner, Brooklynn Moran, Lyla Morrison, Eleanor Nash, Paige Nevels, Emily Pasquale, Josephine Pasquale, Alexandra Popovich, Delana Ragan, Elizabeth Rock, Brooklyn Ruark, Aurelia Sewickley, Revah Sharma, Dominik Slevin, Tayah Smith, Tessa Smith, Isabelle Sosnosky, Bradley Theis, Gracie Theis, Rachel Theis, Shawn Theis, Ty Theis, Maria Tsikouris, Maria Vamvakis, Isabella Vargas, Vivian Welch-Young, Maria Wilson, Riley Wilson, Raina Yeasted, Rosalind Yeasted and Mary Zavoral.

Perrotta studied dance growing up, but she never performed in “The Nutcracker.” She did grow up seeing New Castle Regional Ballet’s production, and she has a vivid memory of seeing her first professional production of it by Pittsburgh Ballet

“That was the first time I’d seen on a full scale with an orchestra and the costumes and professional dancers,” she said. “That’s the biggest one that sticks out.”

And it’s an experience she wants to give to a new generation of dancers and audience members.

“We have some surprises this year that I want to say are going to be magical to the audience.”

If you go …

WHAT: Ballet Western Reserve — “The Nutcracker”

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Powers Auditorium, 260 W. Federal St., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $17 to $29 and are available at the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office, online at experience yourarts.org and by calling 330-259-9651.