Brother, Sister Perform Together In ‘Nutcracker’

Huntington brother and sister John and Emma Brendel will join together for a third time in the Ohman School of Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.” Photo courtesy of Ohman School of Ballet

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

This is the third year that brother and sister John and Emma Brendel, both of Huntington, will take the stage together in Ohman School of Ballet’s production of the “The Nutcracker.”

Emma, 13, has been dancing since she was 3 years old, while John is new to the ballet scene.

When a dancer who had been playing the “Mouse King” retired in December 2015, Emma saw an opportunity to get her older brother involved in her passion for dance.

Emma, who has been dancing for the Commack-based Ohman school for four years, said, “I always love doing things with my brother, but since I was dancing so much I didn’t see him as often.”

“I thought it would be a cool thing that we could do together,” the eighth grader at J.T. Finley Middle School in Huntington added.

Also, as he stands at 6 feet, John is the perfect size for the role, she added.

However, convincing John to suit up as the “Mouse King” did take some time, Emma said.

“I really kept on him, and he eventually said yes, so that was really exciting,” she said. “I really like that he’s kept with it and still does it with me.”

The brother and sister have appeared in several scenes together as part of the mouse ensemble over the past two years.

“He’s always been really supportive of whatever I wanted to do,” Emma said.

John admits the preparations for the role as the “Mouse King” aren’t as intense as his sister’s. John’s role involves a battle scene where he evidently meets his demise — and Emma, who’s portrayed the “Grey Mouse” or “White Mouse” in previous years, has had the honor of dragging him off stage.

Before the battle, Emma would meet John backstage, adjust his giant mouse head and say, “Make sure you twitch when you die.”

Now this year, Emma will take on new roles, those of “Columbine Doll” and “Tea”, as well as dancing in the flower and snow corps de ballet.

Although they won’t be sharing the stage as close as previous years, Emma said, they’ll continue to wish each other good luck before stepping on stage.

John, who graduated from Huntington High School in 2016, works at Sno-Haus Ski Shop in Huntington Station and the Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay.

Along with her busy dance schedule, Emma plays the flute and ukulele in school and is a member of the National Jr. Honor Society.

Ohman School of Ballet’s 36th annual production of “The Nutcracker” will hit the stage at Hofstra University on both Dec. 16 and Dec. 17. For more information, or tickets, visit Ohmanballet.org.