Marat Daukayev and party girls celebrate the arrival of the title character in “Nutcracker,” returning to Cal State L.A. on Dec. 8.

The Marat Daukayev School of Ballet will present its widely acclaimed production of the “Nutcracker Ballet” at the Luckman Theatre on the campus of Cal State L.A. from Friday to Sunday, Dec. 8-10.

The school has had strong ties to the Japanese American community in Los Angeles. It was established in 2001 and in 2002 Marat’s student, Reiko Sakamaki, danced the leading role of the Sugar Plum fairy. Reiko returned to Japan and now has her own school in Chibu.

Over the years, Marat has visited her school to guest teach. When Reiko married in a traditional Shinto ceremony in Tokyo, Marat and Pamela Daukayev sent her a video of Marat and an advanced student dancing the wedding pas de deux from “Sleeping Beauty” – a role he had danced as a star with the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg.

Now Reiko has her own daughter – the Marat Daukayev School’s first “Sugar Plum grandchild,” whose name is Sakurako. In June 2024, Marat and Pamela will go to Japan to help Reiko celebrate her school’s 20th anniversary.

Maya Ozawa Minoff (Sugar Plum Fairy) and Yui Masuda (Prince) perform in last year’s show at the Luckman Theatre at Cal State L.A.

One of  Daukayev’s Japanese American students, Anna Yeh, danced with the school from the age of four in 2010 and went on to a successful career in ballet. Anna was accepted to the Berlin Ballet School, then Royal Ballet of Flanders in Antwerp. Anna now dances in Brno in the Czech Republic.

Marat Daukayev School of Ballet has an impressive inventory of over 5,000 ballet costumes. Most of the ballet tutus were fabricated in Russia and Japan. The wardrobe is maintained year-round by a team of volunteer mothers who are supervised by three long-time volunteer mothers: Yuko Wood, Madoka Ozawa, and Seiko Kinoshita.

This December, Marat Daukayev Ballet Theatre will produce five performances of “Nutcracker” at the Luckman Theatre. One of the Sugar Plums is Maya Ozawa Minoff, who is 17 years old and will graduate from Immaculate Heart School this year. She has danced in the school for nine years. She performs the role of Sugar Plum in the fifth performance Sunday, Dec.10, at 4:30 p.m.

Maya and Canna Kuribayashi portray the adult and young Masha.

Madoka Ozawa, Maya’s mother, has been an important volunteer with the Marat Daukayev Theatre for those years, assisting Yuko Wood in creating, fitting, and maintaining the wardrobe that gives such magnificence to the productions.

This year, one of the dancers performing the leading role of Masha – the little girl who loves the Nutcracker doll and dreams of the doll coming to life — is played this year by Canna Kuribayashi, who joined the school in 2016. This year she stars in the third performance on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. Canna’s mother, Seiko Kinoshita, is also an important part of the wardrobe team.

Yet another Japanese-Taiwanese family is that of Miki Tanaka and Frank Chen, whose three children, Ethan (15), Leila (12), and Ashton (10), will be dancing in all performances. Ethan dances Snow Cavalier, Tarantella, and Spanish, Leila dances Russian Doll, Pas de Trois, Butterflies, Shepherdess and Sheep, and Ashton dances Nutcracker, Fritz, and Harlequin in different performances. Miki is a long-time parent volunteer and has worked as a dresser with the boys.

Marat Daukayev produced their “Nutcracker” for five years at the Japan America Theatre (now known as The Aratani). The students and families loved this theater in the heart of Little Tokyo. In 2009, after the theater closed for renovations after an earthquake, the school moved its production to a larger theater on the campus of Cal State L.A.

In 2021, a Japanese American family, Michael and Satomi Franco, brought their two children, Maria and Liam, to join the students of Marat Daukayev School and dance in their “Nutcracker.” This year they have returned to dance at the Luckman Theatre.

Cast members Ethan, Leila and Ashton Tanaka Chen.

At the Francos’ advice, Yui Masuda, a contemporary dance student in Kobe who wanted to improved his ballet technique, came to Los Angeles to study with Marat. The school invited him to return in November to dance the role of the Prince. The students of the school were so happy to dance with Yui.

The school takes pride in welcoming ballet students from around the world and sending its own students to ballet schools and companies around the world. It is a very international community and they are all working hard to support their children and teach them the discipline of ballet and the joy of collaboration with others to create art.

Performances of the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet’s production of “Nutcracker” will take place on Friday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 10, at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at: https://theater.maratdaukayev.org

Photos courtesy Marat Daukayev School of Ballet