Through the years, Pas de Vie has been dedicated to the art of dance through education and entertainment and we remain committed to the four pillars of our mission.
» Preserve the tradition of classical ballet.
» Build original choreography to awaken a range of emotions.
» Develop and entertain new audiences.
» Educate and inspire dancers of all ages and abilities.
We ask your support to help us continue to grow so we may create new works, reach new heights and enlighten new audiences to the extraordinary and beautiful world of dance. By supporting our efforts, you are helping to preserve the art of dance through the education and inspiration of today’s youth. In every culture, art provides the life-giving veins of expression and growth. Pas de Vie means “step of life” – with each one we take, let us dance to celebrate its beauty and wonder.
Merry Christmas and Happiest of Holidays from Charles Hagan and Natalia Botha and all of the Pas de Vie Family
Artistic Director Natalia Botha
Ballet Master Charles Hagan
Stage Manager Scott Freese
Technical Director Charles Hagan
Company Coordinator Carrie Holden
Junior Company Coordinator Bianca Simmonds-Calhoun
Wardrobe Mistress Nikki Smith
Head Seamstresses Jayne Gerard Kathy Neel
Wardrobe Assistants Irina Grigoryan Elaine Hwang
Company Pianist Sudarat Songsiridej
School Performances/Outreach Crystie Voehl
Fundraising Alison Denny
Promotions
Poster Photography
Tanya Peres Lemons
Dave Barfield, The Lonely Fox
Company Photographer Melissa Donaldson
Program Design Nikki Johnson
Videographer Chris Flood
Master Electrician Greg Hill
Event Manager Shahid Tomblin
Stage Crew FAMU staff
Sewing Assistants
Leah Benoza, Claire Borschel, Paola Garces, Melody Neel, Jan Rosene, Fran Tejero, Vandana Tripathi
For the safety of our dancers, out of courtesy to our audience and to protect the art of our choreographers, no photography or video is allowed. Please silence and darken all cell phones.
The Company Advanced Company
Liam Anderson
Anastasia Atayants
Hanna Benoza
Victoria Bulecza
Rick Clark
Kate Denny
Josef Drinkard
Amalia Garces
Kaitlyn Gerard
Charles Hagan
Madeline Holden
Isabel Lin
Hailey Nolder
Gabrielle Peammon
Nicholas Peammon
Nikki Smith
Sylvie Williamson
Advanced Company Apprentices
Maria Atayants
Ava Grace Bilello
Melissa Denny
Oliver Holden
Eli Kern
Iris Lee
Junior Company
Lillie Adams
Hannah Barfield
Sarah James Barfield
Hope Borschel
Sergio Brindisi
Corinne Bruno
Ilsa Bruno
Sierra Calhoun
Reese Donaldson
Lakshmi Eason
Sally Kate Edenfield
Rory Grassman
Caroline Hooper
Alisa Kuzub
Mihika Lagy
Cora Lemons
Lauren Neel
Ava Paul
Elijah Peammon
Alice Pereda
Rosie Belle Roberts
Remi Robertson
Emaline Smith
Monroe Spencer
Anjali Vennelaganti
Chloe Voehl
Mary Wilmot
The Story of The Nutcracker
Come with us back through time to a more romantic era – a time of elegance, candlelight and dreams…
The scene is the Silberhaus’ Christmas party. It will be a wonderful evening, especially for the children. Herr Drosselmeyer who is Clara and Fritz’s uncle, entertains with his special brand of magic. He creates illusions for the children and adults alike with dancing dolls and a playful bear. Drosselmeyer gives Clara a very special present – an enchanted Nutcracker, which her brother Fritz breaks in a fit of jealousy. However, it is quickly repaired by Drosselmeyer.
The dance and party continue but soon the children are tired and the guests begin to leave. It has been an exciting evening and the Silberhauses go off to bed. Clara sneaks back down to retrieve her precious gift and as she falls asleep, cradling her beloved Nutcracker, the magic truly begins!
Drosselmeyer returns to cast a mysterious spell overall. Presently, Clara awakens to the scurrying of mice, and to her astonishment, she finds herself under the enormous Christmas tree – tormented by the Mouse King. The mice are then attacked by an army of toy soldiers led by the enchanted Nutcracker. During a battle between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, the Nutcracker is nearly killed but Clara saves him by throwing her slipper at the Mouse King, allowing the Nutcracker to kill his opponent and emerge victorious. Upon discovering who the Mouse King really may be, Clara faints into her Nutcracker’s arms.
Drosselmeyer then escorts Clara through the Land of Snow, where she is greeted by the Snow Queen and King along with a flurry of snowflakes. Their travels continue to the Kingdom of Sweets. There Clara is warmly received by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier and lavishly entertained by dances from exotic lands.
All too soon it is time for Clara to return home. It was, after all, only a young girl’s dream. That is, unless you believe in the magic of Christmas.
The Nutcracker
Choreography
Natalia Botha and Charles Hagan
Music
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Costumes
Pas de Vie Ballet Wardrobe
Construction and Design
Jayne Gerard–Columbine
Kathy Neel–Angels
Fran Tejero–Spanish
ACT I
The Christmas Party
Clara
Maria Atayants/Ava Grace Bilello
*Reese Donaldson *Emaline Smith
Herr Drosselmeyer
Charles Hagan
Fritz
Eli Kern
Drosselmeyer’s Nephew
Oliver Holden
Frau Silberhaus
Carla Hutchinson
Herr Silberhaus
Michael Webb
Grandfather
Terry Hague
Girls
Ava Grace Bilello/Maria Atayants – Reese Donaldson
We wish to thank the Council on Culture and Arts (COCA), Visit Tallahassee, and the City of Tallahassee for their generous and ongoing support of Pas de Vie Ballet.
Artistic Director – Natalia Botha
Natalia Botha, born in Pretoria, South Africa, began her training in Canada as a chosen scholar at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. At age 11, she was awarded a full scholarship for the summer to attend the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. Also on scholarship and under the continued tutelage of her mother, Gwynne Ashton, the esteemed, worldrenowned teacher and coach, Ms. Botha studied at the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, Illinois, training both in the United States and abroad with many famous teachers and choreographers. She soon became a member of the National Ballet of Illinois. To further her career, Ms. Botha joined the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater in 1976 under the direction of Patrick Frantz and later Patricia Wilde. During her tenure, she danced many soloist and principal roles of varied repertoire from the great classics (Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker) to original contemporary works by Alvin Ailey, Agnes de Mille, Domi Reiter Soffer, Ohad Naharin, and George Balanchine. Natalia has performed locally as a guest artist with FSU Dance Repertory Theater and Evening of Dance. Currently, Ms. Botha teaches, directs, and choreographs locally for Pas de Vie Ballet, she and her husband Charles Hagan also staged an original work, Totemotion, for Chattanooga Ballet.
Ballet Master – Charles Hagan
Charles Hagan began his early training with Sylvia Watters in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana. At age 16, he was awarded a full scholarship to attend the National Academy of Arts under the direction of Michael Maule. After graduating from the Academy, Mr. Hagan joined the National Ballet of Illinois and in a short time became soloist. In 1978, he joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and in 1980 was named soloist. Because of this versatility in dance, mime, makeup, and dramatic ability, Mr. Hagan was promoted to principal character dancer in 1985 – a title created for him. During his tenure, he danced all the principal character roles along with many leading classical roles ranging from the “Blue Bird Pas de Deux” (Sleeping Beauty), “Pas de Trois” (Swan Lake), “Peasant Pas de Deux” (Giselle) and a variety of Balanchine repertoire. His many guest appearances include a
return invitation with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Prince Sigfried from Swan Lake with Southern Ballet Theatre (now Orlando Ballet) and numerous Nutcracker engagements. On the administrative side, Mr. Hagan served locally, statewide and nationally for the American Guild of Musical Artists and a company manager for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre on tour. Mr. Hagan has performed locally as a guest artist with FSU Evening of Dance and Tallahassee Ballet Company. In addition to his position as ballet master for Pas de Vie Ballet, he teaches locally, choreographs and serves as ballet master for Ballet Theatre South.
Principal Dancers
Rick Clark began his love of movement and dance at the age of 10 as a clogger and martial artist. In college he took up interest in competing in country western dance and got noticed by the Director of Mobile Ballet. He was offered a scholarship to dance with their company and performed with them for three years before moving to Tallahassee in 1998 where he joined Pas de Vie. Over the past 26 years he’s performed a variety of corps de ballet and principal roles with Pas de Vie. He also performed as a guest artist throughout the southeast with several other regional companies. His career highlights include lead roles in the Nutcracker, Spring Waters, Vessel, Hoedown, Last Call, Giggling Rapids, Danzon, Elemental Rhythm, Flight, Queen’s Game and many others. Throughout that time he continued to compete on the United Country Western Dance Association circuit and won two world titles in the classic division and tied for the World Championship title in the Showcase Division with fellow dancer Seah Hagan. He enjoys spending time with friends and family, gardening and works as an Environmental Scientist for WaterIQ Technologies.
Joseph Drinkard began dancing at the age of 12 with HipHop, Tap, Jazz, Clogging and Gymnastics. Becoming fascinated with ballet, he began taking as many ballet classes as he could, and at age 15 was selected to be a member of Pas de Vie Ballet. He also attended Joffrey Ballet School’s summer session where he received a scholarship to join their intensive training program in New York city. Josef has enjoyed many notable roles in the Nutcracker such as Waltz of the Flowers, Snow King, Spanish & Russian, along with several original choreographic works, Vessel, Simian Line, Lalena & Danzon. When Josef is not dancing, you will find him working at the Courthouse in the Leon County Clerk’s Office or hanging out with his family and friends. Josef enjoys playing video games, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the card game and Vanguard.
Nikki Smith began her ballet training at age 4, at The Classical Ballet Center of Tampa, under the direction of Haydée Gutiérrez. When she was 12, she moved to Tallahassee and continued her training at the Southern Academy of Ballet Arts with Gywnne Ashton, Natalia Botha, and Charles Hagan. During this time, she also performed with Pas de Vie Ballet as an Advanced Company dancer, where several roles were choreographed on her. Upon high school graduation, Nikki attended the University of Florida, majoring in Health Studies, and danced regularly with the dance department and Floridance, UF’s student run company. While at UF, she was selected to perform with UF’s dance faculty on multiple occasions, and was also a guest artist with Santa Fe Community College, performing several original works choreographed by Alberto Alonso and Momentum Ballet. After completing PA school, Nikki returned to Pas de Vie, performing again as an Advanced Company dancer and now as an occasional guest performer, for both The Nutcracker and Spotlight on Dance. You can also find her backstage and in the studio trying her best to help with costumes and assisting with the Junior Company. Nikki is currently a Family Practice Physician Assistant with Tallahassee Medical Group. She is thrilled to have passed her love of ballet and Pas de Vie down to her daughter, who is currently a Junior Company dancer. She is grateful for her mom, who introduced the love of ballet to her, Natalia and Charles who have continued to nurture it, and the support of her husband who has put up with this hobby for so long. Pas de Vie is truly a second family to her.
Kaitlyn Gerard began her training under the expert tutelage of Natalia Botha and Charles Hagen. Over her past 13 years in the company, she has danced in the annual production of The Nutcracker, performing a variety of roles from Tiny Angel, to Snow Queen and Arabian. Since 2018, Kaitlyn has been a member of Spotlight on Dance, performing repertoire from classical ballets such as Giselle and Raymonda. Additionally, she has enjoyed performing many of Pas de Vie’s original works including, Sur la Plage, Vessel, Last Call, and The Critic. Currently, Kaitlyn is continuing her passion for movement as a sophomore at the FSU School of Dance. Here she was recently a part of Suzanne Farrell’s restaging of Divertimento No. 15 and Caleb Mitchell’s When We’re Older.
Soloists
Isabel Lin began dancing at age 3, where she learned to compete in numerous dance styles. At age 10, she began studying at Pas De Vie Ballet under the instruction of Charles Hagan and Natalia Botha. While dancing at Pas De Vie, Isabel has performed in their annual productions of The Nutcracker and Spotlight on Dance. She is grateful for the many opportunities provided to her. Isabel is beyond thankful for all the irreplaceable friendships that she has made and the knowledge she has gained through this company. Currently, Isabel is studying at the University of Central Florida, obtaining a degree in Criminal Justice. On the side, Isabel loves teaching the Creative Movement class at Pas De Vie and being a TA at a local studio.
Anastasia Atayants began dancing at the age of 6 and started her training at Pas De Vie Ballet at the age of 13. Since joining the company, she has had the opportunity of dancing in various productions, her favorites including The Nutcracker, Raymonda, and origin works like Sur La Plage, and Saturday Night Hoe-Down. She has also had the privilege of attending The Russian Orlando Ballet summer intensive and Suzanne Farrell’s Summer Program at FSU. Currently a senior, Anastasia is in the dual enrollment program taking classes both at Chiles High School and FAMU. She’s also part of the externship program, where she externs at Hoy + Stark Architects, an architecture firm. She is passionate about dance and looks forward to continuing to grow and share her love for the art.
RENTALS
Victoria Bulecza
Hanna Benoza Anastasia Atayants
Liam Anderson
Hailey Nolder
Isabel Lin
Madeline Holden
Amalia Garces
Sylvie Williamson
Nicholas Peammon
Gabrielle Peammon
Kate Denny
Cora L. Lemons
Proud to Support
Advanced Company Apprentices
Junior Company
Oliver Holden, Ava Grace Bilello, Iris Lee, Melissa Denny, Maria Atayants, Eli Kern
Front Row: Sierra Calhoun, Emaline Smith, Mihika Lagy, Reese Donaldson
Second Row: Hope Borschel, Lauren Neel, Sergio Brindisi, Sally Kate Edenfield, Mary Wilmot
Front Row: Alisa Kuzub, Alice Pereda, Sarah James Barfield
Middle Row: Ava Paul, Remi Robertson, Lillie Adams, Lakshmi Eason
Back: Monroe Spencer, Elijah Peammon, Rosie Belle Roberts, Anjali Vennelaganti, Chloe Voehl, Hannah Barfield, Rory Grassman, Cora Lemons
Not pictured: Corinne Bruno, Ilsa Bruno, Caroline Hooper
2024-2025 Season Sponsors
Pas de Deux
BowStern Marketing Communications
Jayne and Greg Gerard
Laura González Morris, Math Matters
Capital City Endodontics
Pas de Bourrée
Jeff and Maria Anderson
Chris and Crystie Voehl
Jan Rosene
Pas de Poisson
A.T. Home Contractors
The Bilello Family
Del and Leah Benoza
Thomas and Angel Eason
Harry and Cathy Neel
The Peammon Family
The Vaccaro Family
Timothy Murphy
Gaylynn Resener
Emaline, Allen, and Nikki Smith
Chris and Kellie Kraft
In Memory of Karl Zimmer
Pas de Cheval
The Brennan Family
Jill Harper
The Holden Family
Rama Kastury and Sirish Kondabolu
Karla and Lutz Kern
The Lemons Family
Daniel Mikell
Nancy Olds
Radcliffe Engineering, Ocala, FL
Mrs. Delorise Rush & in Memory of Pastor F. R. Rush
