Conor Adler remembers the first time she was part of “The Nutcracker” at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre.
The instructor at the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet was just 6 when she first danced in the classical Christmas ballet under the Arlington’s spotlight.
“We would look up at that stage and just kind of be in awe of the fact that we got to perform there,” Adler said of the 94-year-old venue.
The Santa Barbara native and mother of three, who has performed roles from the Soldier to the Snow Queen, is now helping direct the theater’s 50th anniversary of “The Nutcracker,” which will be performed this weekend.
Adler said that for this year’s show, she has drawn on some of the original stagings by Robert and Carol Hanlin, who shaped the first performance of the beloved ballet at The Arlington in 1975.
“I don’t have it written down anywhere,” Adler said of the choreography from the earliest productions or even those she was part of. “I don’t even know if I have it recorded on like what would be probably VHS tape.
“But I brought it back,” she said, “from a lot that was in my memory.”
The golden anniversary performance includes a diverse cast Adler describes as “the crème de la crème of professional dancers”: Alexandra Hutchinson and Kouadio Davis from the Dance Theatre of Harlem; Misa Kuranaga of the San Francisco Ballet; and Angelo Greco from the Houston Ballet.
And Adler, who has received choreography awards from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, is not the only one continuing “The Nutcracker” tradition at The Arlington.
Elise Unruh will conduct composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a,” which includes the famous “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Waltz of the Flowers.” The former Carpinteria High School performing arts teacher has been in The Arlington’s orchestra pit for 45 of the 50 years the theater has hosted the holiday classic, either as a member of the orchestra (12 times) or its conductor (33 times).
Misa Kuranaga, left, of the San Francisco Ballet, performs on The Arlington stage in 2023 in “The Nutcracker” as the Sugar Plum Fairy, with Angelo Greco of the Houston Ballet. (Photo courtesy of Fritz Olenberger) 
Conor Adler, then 14, stands with her father, Willis Copeland, after a performance in which the two danced together in “The Nutcracker.” (Photo courtesy of the Adler family) 
Josh Adler, Conor Adler’s husband, and their daughter Stella Adler perform in “The Nutcracker” in 2023. (Photo courtesy of the Adler family) 
An ensemble cast performs in the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet’s 2024 program of “The Nutcracker” at The Arlington Theatre. (Photo courtesy of Bob Carey)
“The most magical time … was always that dress rehearsal when the symphony started warming up,” Adler recalled of her own days dancing on the stage. “Because as a young dancer, most don’t get to perform to a live symphony. It’s really a luxury, and it’s such a wonderful thing.
“Performing to live music as a dancer is the epitome of … a real performance,” she said.
For Adler, the production has always been a family affair — and this year is no different. Her father once danced in the party scene of the ballet. In this weekend’s program, her husband will dance with the couple’s three children — ages 5, 8 and 11. For her part, Adler, with no small dose of nostalgia, will be directing from the wings.
“The Nutcracker,” presented by the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet, will be performed at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are on sale through The Arlington’s website, with prices starting at $52.90. Following the Sunday matinee, the Festival Ballet will host a celebratory toast, with appetizers and live music at 28 Vic, 28 W. Victoria, around the corner from The Arlington.
