When she gets ready to star in Studio 3’s annual production of “Mixed Nuts” this weekend at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, Maya Leathers will leave her obstacles at the stage door; they simply can’t crack her when she’s in pointe shoes and a tutu.
She has been coping with several health challenges for many years — most recently including Tourette syndrome, a diagnosis she received in March. People with the syndrome experience sudden and uncontrolled twitches, movements, or sounds, called tics.
“Dance has always been somewhere that I can escape to and challenge myself, but still have the freedom of creativity,” Maya, a junior at East Hampton High School, said this week. “It has always been a powerful outlet, but in the last nine months especially. The studio was the only place I wanted to be. Because of the support system I have here, it made me stop ticking.”
Meredith Shumway, whose mother, Diane Shumway, is the founder of Studio 3, said she has seen firsthand how dance has been meaningful for Maya. “To see her be able to come into the studio and feel like it’s her safe space, and feel comfortable enough to perform, was really, really powerful,” she said. “I’ve watched her overcome these obstacles and still be able to pursue her passion.”
Each year since 2014, Studio 3’s unique take on the “Nutcracker” ballet is to mash it up with a different popular story, film, or fairy tale and add other styles of dance into the show — hence the title “Mixed Nuts.”
Maya and two fellow dancers, Avery McCleland, a Bridgehampton School student, and Bianca Hommert, a Ross School student, are sharing the prestigious, traditional roles of Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop, and Snow Queen. Meanwhile, a much younger dancer — Logan Tracy, age 7, of Sag Harbor — is starring as a particular young boy whose family accidentally leaves him at home by himself while they take their holiday vacation. (The studio can’t actually say what movie that is, but the audience won’t have to guess for long.)
The show also features digital sets — yes, digital! — that are possible with what Ms. Shumway described as Bay Street’s “super current” projection technology. “Everything about Bay Street Theater is really incredible in that aspect,” she said.
Show times are tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance at dancestudio3.com, or $30 (cash only) at the door on the day of the performances.