This article was written by BenitoLink intern Ashlyn Manninen. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Two Hollister teens, Alyssa Gonzalez and Annina Zanella, will be in this year’s performance of “The San Jose Nutcracker,” presented by the New Ballet dance company and staged at the historic California Theater in downtown San Jose. In addition to being the girls’ second Nutcracker performance with the company, they also split the lead role of Clara in the San Benito Dance Academy’s version of “The Nutcracker” back in 2021.
Annina Zanella, 17, will be dancing in the role of an aunt in the party scene, as a snowflake, and as an iris. Zanella got her start in ballet when she was two-and-a-half.
“It’s kinda funny,” Zanella said, “I started ballet for no particular reason, basically because my parents put me in. From there I kept doing it, and loving it, eventually making it a part of my life, and a passion.”
A senior at Hollister High School, Zanella plans to attend a four-year university, and major in marketing or economics and minor in dance. UC Irvine and San Diego State University are her top two choices because, she said, both schools have a great dance program. She also said that if New Ballet offered her a full-time position with the company, she would accept and postpone attending college.
Zanella began her dance training with San Benito Dance Academy in Hollister, and has been studying with New Ballet for the past three years. She switched to New Ballet to be in a school certified by the American Ballet Theatre, and New Ballet is the only one in the Bay Area.
“It’s refined, classical training,” Zanella said, “and I knew dancing with the company would help me grow as a dancer.” Many of her teachers at San Benito Dance Academy danced with New Ballet and encouraged her to do so.
Besides ballet, Zanella has also been trained in jazz, hip-hop, modern, lyrical, tap and contemporary style dancing. While at San Benito Dance Academy she was also a student instructor and taught ballet and hip-hop to younger dancers.
Ballet has become a big part of Zanella’s life. “I learned so much about respect, patience, and how to express myself as a person,” she said. “It’s a creative outlet, it’s everything, I have no idea who I would be without dance.”
Alyssa Gonzalez, 16, with whom Zanella is dancing in “The San Jose Nutcracker,” is another Hollister resident and good friend. The two connected at San Benito Dance Academy and split the starring role of Clara in a performance of “The Nutcracker” in 2021, which brought them close after hours of rehearsal daily.
Gonzalez will be dancing in the performance as a flower and as a snowflake. She has been dancing for 11 years and got her start with ballet after watching her older sister perform at home.
“I fell in love with the movement,” she said, “and just watching my sister really influenced me to want to try out on my own.” She also said it took her a couple of years to get into it. “I think I was just scared in the beginning.”
Like Zanella, Gonzalez switched to New Ballet at the start of the 2023 season, and, like Zanella, training was one of the reasons she did it.
“I think the community is great,” Gonzalez said. We’re all close. I feel like I’ve created a family. And I feel like I’m comfortable enough to explore and improve.”
Gonzalez has trained in jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary style dancing. She also does dance competitions on weekends, involving extra private lessons three times a week.
Gonzalez is a junior at Hollister High School. She already has an idea of what she would like to do after she graduates, but for now plans to stay with New Ballet for a few years. She hopes her time there will enable her to be accepted at other ballet companies.
Gonzalez said that for now, ballet is her life. “I’m a little too busy sometimes for anything else,” she said. “I like to commit to dance.”
“The San Jose Nutcracker” performances run Dec. 14-23. For tickets, go here.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour, United Way, Taylor Farms and the Emma Bowen Foundation.
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