With the holiday season approaching, UM En Pointe, the University’s emerging and vibrant ballet club, performs “The Nutcracker” after weeks of rehearsals and practice.
The club’s executive board and members reimagined this beautiful classic inspired by George Balanchine’s choreography and Tchaikovsky’s timeless soundtrack.
They took the stage at Gusman Concert Hall on Friday, Nov. 14 to blend the classical charm of music and choreography with the energy of a fully student-formed cast.
Founded in 2025 by alumna Sophie Stokes-Wong, current President Molly Radice and current Vice President Ava Byrne, UM En Pointe is an on campus ballet club open to dancers of all levels.
With years of training behind them, Radice, Byrne and fellow executive board members Maya Armster and Emily Huffman inspire seasoned dancers and beginners to master ballet while building a creative and supportive community.
“It’s been so great to bring together this group of girls. We are getting together because we all love to dance, and to love dance again, and have so much fun with it” said Huffman, the club’s public relations chair.
The club meets Sundays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. with classes taught by Radice and Armster who are both ballet instructors at the Herbert Wellness Center.
After class, cast members rehearse for their upcoming shows with the four executive board members. The Wellness Center offers additional ballet clauses taught by Radice and Armster to club members on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Last semester, UM En Pointe presented its inaugural production, “Sleeping Beauty,” with only 12 cast members and was performed in a Wellness Center dance studio. Since then, the club has grown to more than 150 members, with 22 performing in “The Nutcracker” this semester.
Beyond choreography, the executive board also handles costumes, props, sets, budgeting and internal bonding events.
In October, members attended a field trip to the Miami City Ballet to see “Peck: Miami in Motion,” to continue bonding through their shared appreciation for the art form.
This fall’s production of the holiday classic tells the story of Clara, whose Christmas Eve gift — a magical nutcracker — transports her into an enchanting world of swirling snowflakes, dancing sweets and the graceful Sugar Plum Fairy.
Tickets were free for students, faculty and the public.
There was no better way to welcome the holiday season on campus than by experiencing this enchanting performance and supporting UM’s newest ballet club, En Pointe.