Upper St. Clair Ballerina Performs in 'The Nutcracker'

There is a little girl in Upper St. Clair who’s doing big things this holiday season. Her name is Isabella Putorti. She’s nine years old, and this season marks her second year dancing in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker.

Performing on the main stage at Benedum Center may be something relatively new to Putorti, but dancing is not. She has been dancing since the age of three, when her mother, Dawn Predmore, enrolled her in an early childhood dance class in the children’s division at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.

Predmore said that she learned about the program when her family attended a free summer performance by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre at Hartwood Acres.

“They were handing out flyers about their newly-expanded classes for young kids,” Predmore said. “Isabella always loved to dance and twirl around, and she was very inspired by the dancers’ movements and intrigued by their costumes.

“Enrolling her in the school seemed like the natural thing to do.”

What started as a toddler’s fascination soon evolved into a young girl’s passion. As Putorti grew, so too did her investment in her art. She said she liked learning how to dance and making new friends.

What appealed to her most, however, was the prospect of being a part of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre performances.

Noting that performance opportunities are somewhat limited for younger students, Predmore said that dancing with the pre-professional students or professional company became her daughter’s main goal.

Putorti achieved her goal two years ago, when she took the stage at the Byham Theater for the pre-professional students’ spring performance. A few months later, she auditioned for professional company’s production of The Nutcracker, and was cast as a toy soldier.

This season, Putorti plays a toy soldier in the first act and a bee in the second act. She said that she is very excited about her two roles (and her costumes), that she is proud to dance on stage with the professional dancers and that the entire experience is very rewarding.

“I like being on stage and dancing in front of big crowds,” Putorti said. “It feels good to make so many people happy by dancing for them.”

But these rewards did not come without a price. Predmore said that her daughter had to work very hard and make many sacrifices to get to this point in her dancing career, including missing out on several birthday parties to attend classes or performances.

The commute to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School alone is a trial of Putorti’s dedication.

“We have to drive from to the Strip District, where the school is located, at least twice a week,” mother Predmore said. “That’s a lot of time in the car, which is a lot of downtime for a kid.”

When Putorti isn’t on the stage or in the car, she’s hard at work as a fourth grader at , where she participates in the Odyssey of the Mind competition, and her favorite subject is reading. She is a big sister to Sofia, 7; Ian, 3; and Luciana, 1.

Putorti can be seen dancing in matinee and evening performances of The Nutcracker on Dec. 3, 9, 11, 17 and 23. For ticket information, click here or stop by the Benedum box office.

Are you going to The Nutcracker this year? Share your experience in the comments.