Since Lori Hernández began dancing ballet at age 3, performing in “The Nutcracker” ballet has been an annual and unbroken ritual.
But this fall for the first time in 22 years the Chula Vista resident is not dancing in any “Nutcracker” production. The pandemic dried up all opportunities for the freelance professional dancer, since most ballet companies have either canceled their holiday productions or pared them down to small casts of company artists.
For Hernández, who last year danced in two regional “Nutcrackers” in the lead role of the Sugar Plum Fairy, it’s been devastating.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” said Hernández, 25. “Dealing with the changes emotionally has been the hardest part for me. You have to stay motivated without any promise of anything coming up. It takes a lot of mental strength. It’s very isolating.”