First, she applies her makeup. Then, she pins every hair into place. She dons her pointe shoes, taking care to tuck in their ribbons. She spends some time at the barre, building heat in her legs, core, and back muscles. Finally, just before the bright stage lights and the audience cast their gaze upon her, Atkins says a quick prayer.
Each time Atkins takes the stage in her starring Nutcracker roles, which she's performing at Miami's Arsht Center through December 24 and the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach December 29-30, it's a full-circle moment, as the beloved holiday production played a key role in inspiring the young dancer to pursue ballet as a career.
"I remember the first time I played Clara in The Nutcracker. She sits on the throne at the back of the stage and watches all the various dances for Act II. I remember how amazing it was to get to sit onstage and see the spotlight on the ballerinas, the music, and the movement. I felt like, 'I want this. I never want to not have this in my life. I have to do it.'"
This year marks Atkins' inaugural season as principal dancer for Miami City Ballet, a position she was chosen for a mere two years after joining the company as a soloist. The recognition fulfills a lifelong dream for Atkins, who began dance training at age 5 in Vermont and later attended the North Carolina School of the Arts and Boston Ballet School before being named second soloist at Boston Ballet in 2019.
"Growing up, I would keep asking my mom to do ballet. We were signed up for a bunch of different activities and sports, but apparently, I was pretty relentless about ballet. Finally, my mom signed me up. I loved it from the start. We were running around in our tutus, and even at my young age, I was like, 'When do we go to the barre? When do we do real ballet?' I was ready," recalls Atkins, who currently lives in Palm Beach County with her husband. "By the age of 8, probably, I was already telling my mom, 'I'm going to be a professional ballet dancer.'"
These days, Atkins matches her deeply rooted passion for the art form with a carefully cultivated work ethic. For Atkins and her fellow Miami City Ballet dancers, rehearsals can last six hours, and dancers may need to memorize and perfect choreography for several upcoming productions within one rehearsal day. For Atkins, it's the 90-minute technique class that begins each training day that places her on the right foot.
"I find starting every day with technique class to be, in some ways, quite meditative. I like that there's structure and simplicity to our mornings, and it's a ritual that we do every day for ourselves: to improve, to warm up, and to be prepared for the rehearsals that day," she says.
A native of Middletown Springs, Vermont, Dawn Atkins joined Miami City Ballet as a soloist in 2021 and was named its principal dancer in 2023.
Dawn Atkins/Miami City Ballet photo
"All positions in a ballet company are important because all of us are blades or flowers that make up a beautiful lawn or garden. That said, principal dancers carry a ballet. They carry the full load of how the audience perceives that work," Lopez says. "Principal dancers need to be unique. They need to bring themselves into a role. It's not just about the steps – it's about showing who you are onstage within the parameters of the choreography. It's a huge responsibility, and not every role can look the same."
Lopez says Atkins earns her principal title by bringing something new and something true to herself in each role she takes on.
"Dawn brings who she is to everything she does. She is always present, willing to work, willing to change, willing to take responsibility for her art. She is not onstage for herself, but to show how she feels about the piece she is dancing," she says. "She is such a classical, elegant, musical, and strong dancer. In some works, Dawn hears the music differently and reacts to this, so the way she interprets both Sugar Plum and Dew Drop tends to be unique to her. For me, there is always a sense of calmness when she's onstage, and she shines."
As Atkins looks forward to her remaining Nutcracker shows this month, she intends her performances to serve as an offering to her audiences. By sharing her love and passion for ballet with all who watch, she hopes to fill her audience members with similarly good feelings and new experiences they can carry into the new year.
"I want to be myself onstage and give that to the audience, and hopefully, they take what they need out of my performance," she says. "With The Nutcracker, you want the audience to have that holiday spirit when they're leaving. You want them to feel that magic of the season. The Nutcracker is the most approachable ballet for kids and families. I always think, no matter how tired I am in a performance, whether it's the last one of the weekend or it's been a long week, there's a kid out there who's never seen ballet, and this is my opportunity to introduce it to them."
Miami City Ballet Presents George Balanchine's The Nutcracker. 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 19, through Sunday, December 24, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $43 to $219.
