SANDPOINT — When Devyn Vaughan-Jolley took over the Allegro Dance Studio in 2022, she felt there was a notable hole in the community arts scene.  

Nobody was performing “The Nutcracker” at Christmas time. Vaughan-Jolley, the artistic director of the studio, said she grew up dancing the classic and felt it was a need in the community that the dance studio could fill with local performers. 

“You think of Christmas, and I think of ‘The Nutcracker.’ The festivities, the lights and presents, it’s all encompassed together in a story that people can gravitate toward,” Vaughan-Jolley said. “It just continued and evolved from that, new costumes, different choreography each year.” 

For the fourth year in a row, the studio is set to present “The Nutcracker” with more than 40 local kids taking the stage alongside the North Idaho Philharmonia on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13 at the Panida Theater. 

Kristi Stevens, one of the performers’ parents, said the studio’s take on the ballet is much more traditional than other interpretations. Vaughan-Jolley said the original choreography combined with the live orchestral performance creates a more immersive and provides more of a classic environment. 

"I always keep it to the classic music of [Peter Ilyitch] Tchaikovsky... it makes it more extravagant,” Vaughan-Jolley said. “You get to experience the music, the Christmas tradition, the story, the community, family and memories.” 

The studio held open auditions for the ballet, which is set to feature not only students from Allegro, but several from Alton Dance Academy and one performer from Gonzaga University. Vaughan-Jolley said the roles were assigned by which dancer showed the most commitment to their role. 

While the majority of the performers might be students, Vaughan-Jolley said their version of the ballet is anything but simple. She said the process for the performance, from designing choreography to securing the venue, starts a year in advance as she works alongside her team to get everyone on the same page. 

Vaughan-Jolley said Mike and Traci Wojack, both former professional dancers, were instrumental in helping the students learn the dances. She said they practice an additional day per week leading up to rehearsal time, which begins the week of the performance. 

"I teach them on Fridays or Saturdays, on top of their daily training, so it’s countless hours, the time [the students] put into it,” Vaughan-Jolley said. 

New this year is a student-only show held early Friday, in which over 400 of the students’ peers will gather to enjoy their performance.  

Vaughan-Jolley said everyone involved from the families to the teachers makes countless sacrifices to bring the performance to life every year. Though, through it all, Stevens said the payoff of seeing her kid perform is magical and that it makes the effort worthwhile. 

"Seeing the kids on stage, seeing them smile and perform, knowing that they get to share this with people they love or people that they’ve never met,” Vaughan-Jolley said on why she’s committed to the ballet. “That’s their opportunity because of all their hard work; it’s fun to see it all come together.” 

Tickets to both the Friday and Saturday shows can be found at allegrodancestudio.org/events. Doors open 30 minutes before the performance time at the Panida Theater.