Dance studio's Nutcracker performance celebrated as win after Eaton fire

SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (KABC) -- The Nutcracker ballet is one of America's most beloved Christmas traditions, but in Sierra Madre, the performance means a whole lot more this year, especially for families who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire.

In the chaos and uncertainty that followed, the Sierra Madre Dance Center gave them a sense of normalcy.

" It is a huge part of normalcy in our lives," said Kerry Jackson, whose daughter is performing in the show. They lost their home in Hastings Ranch. "Just to have the structure. I think the structure is so important and it was lost that night for so many."

"Something my husband and I struggled with right away was trying to find what would be the constants," said Courtney Davis, whose daughter is performing in the show. They lost their home in Altadena.

"The school we found is a great constant because our school found a place for us to be, found a place to keep the kids together, you know, a week after the fire."

These families are still dealing with everything from insurance issues to city permits, all effecting their rebuilding efforts. The people at this dance center have helped provide a form of therapy.

"O ne of the things that we reflected on was those communities that we belonged to that kind of kept us going and distracted us as we needed it and encouraged us to be places in the dance studio and definitely given us a place to be and made it really easy and comfortable and supportive ," said Davis.

"O ur community has been amazing. They've stepped up and really rallied behind us and just having that community support is you know, I've never experienced an anything like that, so it's really quite touching," said Jackson.

That's why they are celebrating this performance as a win, a victory for their kids, each other, and the surrounding community.

"T here is such a bond that is created when we're on stage together," said Amie Hanrahan, the owner of Sierra Madre Dance Center. "Under the lights and the costumes, everyone's been working so hard for the last few months. And so to get out there and to watch that curtain come up, there's nothing like it."

Shows will be at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse on December 6th at 5pm, and December 7, at 2 pm.

You can get tickets at the door or at SierraMadreDanceCenter.com

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