Stay tuned in to our local news coverage: Listen to 90.7 WMFE on your FM or HD radio, the WMFE mobile app or your smart speaker — say “Alexa, play NPR” and you’ll be connected.

The Orlando Ballet’s presentation of “The Nutcracker” is an annual holiday tradition for the organization. And the tradition is expanding, says the ballet, to reflect both growing ticket sales and the diverse makeup of the central Florida community.

90.7’s Nicole Darden Creston sat in on a recent rehearsal as the company prepared for tonight’s opening, and spoke to Artistic Director Robert Hill and to Amaya Joseph – a young ballerina, barely a teen – making her debut in the lead role of Clara, the girl at the center of “The Nutcracker” story.

Click the Play Audio button above to hear their conversation.

More information on Orlando Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is available at the Orlando Ballet website.