‘Nutcracker' features former Yuman dancer

When Ballet Yuma's presentation of “The Nutcracker” opens tonight, Yuma's very own Bryan Wong will grace the stage as one of three featured guest artists.

Wong, 24, a recent graduate of the University of Arizona School of Dance, will be playing the Snow King.

The traditional holiday event will also feature Morgan McEwen and Scott Weber, from New York City's Metropolitan Opera.

The performances are being directed by Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair and will also feature Ballet Yuma's company dancers and students from Yuma Ballet Academy, as well as “a few new surprises.”

Tonight's opening show starts at 7, with follow-up performances Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Snider Auditorium, 400 S. 6th Ave.

Reserved seating tickets are available at Dillard's, 1461 S. Yuma Palms Parkway. Tickets will also be available at the door while they last.

Wong, the son of Che and Wei Wong, was born and raised in Yuma. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in dance from the UA this past spring and is currently a freelance dancer, traveling to wherever dance companies need a male performer.

He lives in Tucson, where he continues to dance with the UA and collaborates with other dance companies and studios.

Wong has performed in pieces such as Balachine's “Four Temperaments” and “Serenade.” His repertoire also includes classical ballets such as “Giselle,” “Swan Lake,” “Graduation Ball,” “Sleeping Beauty” and, of course, variations of “The Nutcracker.”

Wong didn't grow up wanting to be a dancer. He was more interested in karate.

But as often happens, a girl changed his mind. He was introduced to dance in high school when a girl invited him to be part of a show.

“You know how things go when a cute girl walks by and says, ‘Hey, you want to be in a show with me?' ‘Sure, why not?'”

His made his debut as a prince in the ballet “Firebird,” directed by Thom Clower, then-director of Yuma Ballet Theatre.

But Wong still didn't realize he would end up a professional dancer until spring break his high school senior year. He decided to take some dance classes at the UA, not knowing where it would lead.

“I knew nothing about their dance program.”

The classes ended up being an audition. He was accepted into the university's dance program and even won a small scholarship.

That's when “I went for it ... I spent enough time there to understand that if I'm serious and if I want to work hard, they will take me seriously and they'll support me,” he explained, referring to the dance program faculty and staff.

Initially his family, which includes older brother, Andrew, were “slightly skeptical,” Wong said.

“It's not exactly a money-maker or a respectable profession, but at the same time they thought, ‘He's doing what he likes to do.'”

But after seeing him in a few performances, “they really believed I could do this. And they saw how the teachers were behind me and they saw me making drastic improvement.”

Wong said his dad is now proud of him and has a tendency to show him off to his bowling buddies.

He admits to starting his dance career later than usual, but he said that's not uncommon for males with the desired physique.

He likens dancing to “putting a puzzle together every day with your body and producing something beautiful.”

“On stage, I like making the audience feel something and making them believe I'm the character. I also like playing along with other dancers.

“Every show has had some sort of magic and I could never replace that. I've played everything from a drunk guy to a cavalier in ‘The Nutcracker.'”

He hopes to continue practicing his craft for as long possible.

“It doesn't matter how or where, as long as I'm still involved. At the university they prepared us for more than just dancing. I learned jazz, modern, a whole array of styles of dance. And not just performing, we also learned choreography, teaching, how to start a studio.”

Right now he enjoys traveling and meeting people while practicing his art.

“It's not easy because it's an art, but art and culture are what make us human,.”