For Margaret Gilheany ’26, St. Andrew’s performance of selections from The Nutcracker is as consistent a marker of Christmastime as decorating a tree. A dancer for most of her life, Gilheany was one of the younger Delaware dancers who worked alongside Saints to make Christmas magic each year.

Gilheany first stepped onto the Engelhard Hall stage at age 11, playing Clara, whose Christmas Eve adventure sets up The Nutcracker's vibrant dances. Below, see what Gilheany says about this year’s full-circle moment, dazzling a new Clara as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

 

The Nutcracker has been with you through so many different periods of your life. How has the show changed for you over time, or been an outlet at different times?

Margaret Gilheany (MG): I do associate different times in my life with the role that I was doing at the time, because we work for months leading up to the performance. The Nutcracker is a big part of my year, and I've learned something different through my different roles. Sugar Plum was so special to do as my senior role, and my last performance, because it's like the culminating role. This role was always held by the person I always looked up to growing up, because it was always an older dancer.

 

What challenges came with the role, and how were you able to grow to meet them?

MG: The thing about dance in general, but especially the role of Sugar Plum, is that you are supposed to make it look easy. Sugar Plum isn’t necessarily the most impressive role to an untrained eye. There aren’t leaps or things like that, but the footwork is very fast and precise. So for the first couple months, I was really focusing on getting all that down. Once I did, it was hard to then add the artistic aspect to it, because I couldn't be too focused on the steps. The challenge was getting those two things to work together: to be able to execute, but also perform. Working with [Dance Instructor] Mr. Gold and with his wife, we would identify particular moments where he wanted my arms to flow more, things like that. We focused especially on working with just my arms and my shoulders, and how that would work. Making the shift to practicing on stage is big for me, too; you're able to imagine the audience and perform more. 

 

What has the dance program brought to you during your time at St. Andrew's?

MG: It's a great place to build relationships through a creative act. Dance can be so vulnerable, so you get really close with the people you're dancing with—and now as a senior, it’s been special to make connections with the underclassmen, because I was really close to the upperclassmen as a younger dancer.

Taking dance as an academic class is such a great creative outlet and helpful to get a break from classes where I'm sitting down. Growing up as a dancer, I was a perfectionist. [Now] I get to express myself through art, have a good workout, and just get my body moving.

I had also never tried choreographing before St. Andrew's. Mr. Gold is so open to letting students do what they want, and he gave me lots of opportunities to help develop choreography skills.

 

Do you think learning to choreograph helped with fusing the discipline of getting the moves right, but then also adding the artistry?

MG: Exactly, yes. Those are all tied together, and I think it helped me balance not being overly disciplined, because I was having fun teaching my own choreography to other people.

 

How does it feel to connect with younger dancers?

MG: The dance program has lots of mentorship opportunities. A couple of seniors taught me how to choreograph, basically. I watched everything that they did and I just tried to replicate it. They were really focused on making the shows cleaner and tighter, and having everything run more smoothly. I really have been trying to do that as a senior as well.

It has made me really happy that a lot of underclassmen come to me with their dances and ask, "Can you watch this and give me corrections?" It means a lot to me that they want to hear my feedback on their work.

 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

See more photos from The Nutcracker at St. Andrew's on Smugmug.