This story, originally published at 6:08 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2023, was updated at 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2023, to clarify the ages of the intermediate male dancers and the leading roles of Jacob Cowan.
Jacob Cowan, 17, of Bethesda, was tying up his white ballet shoes before he started the three-hour rehearsal at the Maryland Youth Ballet in Silver Spring on a rainy November Friday afternoon. He had a lot to prepare for–Cowan will be single-handedly portraying the lead male roles in “The Nutcracker” starting Dec. 15 at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in Rockville.
“Doing the principal roles comes as an achievement and is fulfilling,” said Cowan, who is performing leading roles of The Nutcracker Prince and The Cavalier. “A lot of stress comes with it because it comes with a lot of responsibility, but it is also really rewarding.”
The next oldest male dancers are 13 and 14-year-olds who are still intermediates, compared to Cowan, who is on the upper level and has been dancing for approximately 12 years. Cowan recalled attending a Maryland Youth Ballet performance as a child and admiring the company’s 3-year-old male ballet artists.
According to the National Dance Education Organization, 3.5 million children in the U.S. study dance and only approximately 10% are boys.
“While MYB has a long-standing history of excellence for training boys/male-identifying dancers, during the pandemic we had many of our boys drop out when we were giving classes over Zoom,” said Deidre Byrne, the artistic director and principal at Maryland Youth Ballet. “We are actively working to rebuild our population of boys/male-identifying students to pre- pandemic levels.”
The Maryland Youth Ballet performance features 120 young dancers and tells the story of Clara, a girl who receives a Christmas gift–a Nutcracker shaped like a soldier doll. With a score by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Clara is transported into a magical world where toys come to life and the Nutcracker becomes Prince Charming.
Cowan will dance the Sugar Plum Fairy scene with Sikelia Pasquina, 16, of Bethesda.
“Working with Jacob is amazing. He is pretty much my sibling,” Pasquina said. “We come seven days a week, and on weekends we rehearse from 11 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. I love coming here and dancing with him. We are great friends.”
Byrne, who has worked with Jacob over the past year, added: “I get little teary eyes watching him perform with Sugar Plum Fairy because I have been able to see him grow and how much he appreciates this form of art.”
The Nutcracker will be held at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in Montgomery College, Rockville, from Dec. 15 to Dec. 17 and Dec. 21 through Dec. 23. Online tickets can be purchased here and start at $34 for adults. Tickets can also be purchased at the door, starting at $38.