If you know me, then you are aware that I’m one Christmas-loving atheist. I love everything about it: the smell of evergreen and mulled cider, the good will that the holidays foster, the traditions my family has passed down and the sounds of Christmas — the tinkle of bells and, yes, even the Christmas music that plays 24/7. I can’t help but smile when I hear Vince Guaraldi play the Charlie Brown theme song, I choke up a little when I hear “My Grown-up Christmas Wish” and I get excited when I hear the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.” It brings back memories of my childhood and going to see “The Nutcracker” at Lincoln Center and then, later, here at the Academy of Music performed by the Pennsylvania Ballet. Seeing “The Nutcracker” is a tradition that now spans three generations, as my mother, nephew and I still make a point to catch it every year. How thrilling, then, that this week I got to speak to one of the performers, Amir Yogev.
PGN: I understand that you have been doing “The Nutcracker” for 12 years?
AY: Yes, I think so. Wait, maybe I’m exaggerating, let me do the math. I think I did it first with the American School of Ballet in 2005, so almost 10 years with different companies. I’ve played just about every male role possible, aside from the cavalier. I’ve been very lucky.
PGN: Tell me a little about yourself.
AY: I’m 26 years old. I was born and raised on a kibbutz in Israel. When I was little, my friends and I would put on holiday shows on the stage at the kibbutz and I guess that was my entrée into dancing. I grew up doing Israeli folk dancing with a small troupe, which eventually led me to ballet. At 16, I moved to New York City to study at The School of American Ballet.
PGN: Was that your first time in the states?
AY: No, I came here off and on as a kid. Both of my parents are American so we have a lot of family here: my grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. So I was pretty familiar with the states.
PGN: I notice that you don’t have any accent. I wouldn’t have known you weren’t originally from Philly.
AY: I grew up speaking Hebrew but my parents made it a point to speak English in the house. I was always exposed to a lot of American culture. Apparently my accent was a little stronger when I first got here, but it’s not noticeable any more.
PGN: In the United States, there’s a stigma attached to any young boy wanting to be a ballet dancer. Is it the same in Israel?
AY: Yes, definitely. Israel is a very religious country and there are a lot of factions that aren’t very gay-friendly. But I was always myself, though not knowing what that meant. There was some bullying at times, but in seventh grade I got into a performing-arts high school in Jerusalem and it was a different story. It was a very warm, welcoming environment, a bubble where everyone was accepting and no one cared about your sexuality. There were actors and dancers and musicians, both gay and straight and no one cared. A lot of my teachers were openly gay. I was very lucky; my family has always been very accepting too.
PGN: Brothers and sisters?
AY: Four. I’m the second-oldest of five, and we range from 15-29.
PGN: What do you think are some of the biggest differences between growing up here and in Israel?
AY: A lot, probably even more so for me since I grew up on a kibbutz, which was an enclosed, gated community. Then at 13 I commuted to Jerusalem, which was pretty big, and at 16 I moved to New York. I loved life on the kibbutz, it was a great way to grow up, though life outside the kibbutz was more conservative. I moved to New York the summer of 2002 and I remember coming out of the subway on the first day of classes and it just happened to be Pride Day. In Israel, Tel Aviv is very open and Pride there is huge, but I’d never experienced it. What’s cool about New York is that you can be yourself and no one bats an eye. I loved the freedom and felt at home here right away. In Jerusalem, you could walk by and people would do a double take at how you were dressed or how you held yourself. In New York City, you really are just one of a million. Culturally, the biggest difference would be the holidays. The holiday season here is such a massively commercial thing, but in Israel we knew about and celebrated all the Jewish holidays. You always had time off for all Jewish holidays. When I’m here I have to make an effort just to remember when they are! Unfortunately, in Israel, there’s not much separation between church and state; for instance, there’s no public transportation on Saturdays because of the Sabbath. A lot of the state is run by super Orthodox people with a lot of power and it’s a problem.
PGN: So is it odd for a little Jewish boy from a kibbutz in Israel to be dancing in “The Nutcracker,” one of the most iconic events of Christmas?
AY: Yeah, what’s funny is that, growing up, the Israel Ballet Company would put on “The Nutcracker” each year but not as a Christmas offering. It’s a classic dance piece and there are many, many versions of it. It was in March and it was just performed as a great ballet, not a holiday show. [Laughs] I was a super-hyper kid and remember thinking ballet was stiff and boring! But I didn’t grow up in a super-religious family. We always celebrated all the holidays including Christmas.
PGN: Even on the kibbutz?
AY: Oh yeah, we all celebrated together.
PGN: So back to “The Nutcracker.” What role are you playing this year?
AY: What’s nice about this company is that you often get to rotate with different roles. This year I’m mostly playing Soldier, Candy Cane and the principal in Spanish, in addition to the corps de ballet parts of parents and mice, etc. … They do the casting about 10 days before we open and you get a schedule of which roles you are playing on which nights. Of course with a run this long and cast this big, people get sick or injured and you might get asked to do a different role. It’s a little jarring at first, but having done it for so long, I’m comfortable with all the parts I do and how to approach them.
PGN: Do you get nervous?
AY: Oh yes, especially doing Candy Cane; any time you have to use a prop, it’s a little nerve-wracking. Last year, in one of the last shows, I hit my toe during the finale with the hoop and sprained it pretty badly. I couldn’t do the rest of the shows, but thankfully it was near the end of the run. So now I’m a little traumatized during rehearsals … I hope I didn’t jinx myself by mentioning it! Anyway, there’s always a ton of excitement and adrenaline pumping before a show. Now that I’m older, I know how to channel that nervous energy into my performance and use it in my favor.
PGN: There’s nothing like live performing.
AY: Yes, I do lose a lot of sleep before doing a big role. Mainly because you keep playing it over and over in your head along with everything that might go wrong! I played Soldier at today’s matinee performance and it reminded me of the first time I did it back it 2009. The night before I barely got any sleep, I was freaking out, but last night I was lying in bed thinking how lucky I was. There was no fear because I’ve done it so many times. It’s so nice that PA Ballet lets the dancers experience a lot of different roles. You grow and learn with each experience. I’m a different dancer than I was even two or three years ago.
PGN: Is “The Nutcracker” special for dancers or are you like, Here we go again …
AY: It’s definitely something special that we look forward to. It’s great to have children in the audience, especially kids who have never been before. It brings back the magic for us each time seeing it reflected in their faces. And having kids in the production is fun too. They’re so enthusiastic and it’s kind of neat to have them look up at us. I remember when I was a kid dancer and being enamored by the professionals on stage with me, so to be in that role now is cool. And I love the idea that a kid out there might fall in love with ballet after coming to “The Nutcracker” for the first time. The other night I got to sit in the audience during rehearsal and it’s such a gorgeous production. There’s so much going on and it’s so intriguing, it truly is magical.
PGN: I read that you danced in Miami for a while.
AY: I did, with Miami City Ballet. That was my first company out of school. It was a great time. We did the same production there but it was kind of funny doing “The Nutcracker” in 85-degree weather. There’s a big snow scene in the show, which was fun for people who’d grown up in Miami and never seen snow!
PGN: I just watched “Peter Pan” live on TV and while I appreciated the attempt to keep musicals alive, the production was just awful. You played Peter Pan; what was it like?
AY: It was one of my most-treasured moments on stage. Doing the flying stunts was so much fun, one of the best times I’ve had, it was like being on a ride. I watched the NBC performance and I have to say, we did a better job with the flying than they did, and for a much smaller budget!
PGN: What was a favorite moment on stage?
AY: Of course the big roles are fun because they’re milestones for my career, but some of my favorite roles were when I got to do more acting, when I was able to tell a story. Both Peter Pan and Puck from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” are fun because the characters are mischievous and impish and you get to make people laugh, which is just the best.
PGN: What does it mean, being a member of the ballet company?
AY: It means I’m very lucky. It’s rare, especially in today’s climate, to get a full corps de ballet contract. Unlike most people, dancers have to earn a living right out of high school. You have to rely on family or take a second job until you get established. Being a member of a company takes so much worry out of things; we have health insurance and a salary. We’re not millionaires, but we live in an affordable city and can live comfortably here. You definitely have to be frugal, but we’re not in this for the money, we’re in it for the love of what we do. There are little perks here and there too.
PGN: Such as?
AY: When I did [“Nutracker” character] Mother Ginger in Miami I got hazard pay, which is extra money. When you travel you get per diems, always nice. That sort of thing.
PGN: So, are you single?
AY: No, I just got married to a wonderful man named Ohad. It’ll be one month tomorrow. My mom is happy because he’s Israeli. He lives there still so we’re in the process of merging our lives together. Hopefully he’ll be here by the beginning of next season. I love looking down at my ring. It brings a smile to my face each time. It’s a match made in heaven.
PGN: What does Ohad do?
AY: He works in television production. We met a few summers ago in Israel. At first I told him we could just hang out but that I was going back to Philly so not to expect anything. But I guess sometimes love happens in the most cliché ways and we started a long-distance relationship that’s now a happy marriage. We were just going to go to the Justice of the Peace but both of our parents wanted to be there, so we decided to have a small ceremony in Central Park and then do a big celebration later back in Israel. It’ll be the first gay wedding on the kibbutz. The war in Israel really made us realize that we wanted to do it sooner rather than later.
PGN: How close does the war hit home?
AY: My younger sister was in the army and fighting in Gaza. She was on the front lines as an army paramedic. I went home twice this summer and when I was staying in Tel Aviv with Ohad, there were missiles flying overhead at any given moment and air-raid sirens going off. We’d go out into the hallway and follow safety procedures, but it’s scary. I haven’t had to do that since I was a kid on the kibbutz during the Gulf War. The iron dome protects you but it’s really surreal seeing it shooting into the sky.
PGN: I feel like we’re cavalier about war in this country since it’s not something we deal with up close other than that one day on 9/11.
AY: Yes, that’s probably another one of the big cultural differences. Israel has a mandatory army so you always know someone who’s on the front lines. If, God forbid, something happens to a soldier, it’s front-page news and we read about who they were and how they died, whereas here, they refuse to talk about the tremendous amount of people who’ve died. I remember someone got in trouble for showing pictures of the coffins coming home. There’s a disconnect. It’s like, out of sight, out of mind.
PGN: Now that I’ve brought us down, let’s lighten the mood with some random questions. Favorite fabric?
AY: I love wool as long as it’s not itchy. I love cashmere sweaters, but as a dancer, I don’t have many of those. But my favorite is probably a soft cotton T-shirt.
PGN: People often mistake me for …
AY: My brother. He’s eight years younger than me and people have asked if we were twins. I take it as a compliment!
PGN: Three shows on your DVR right now?
AY: “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “Modern Family” and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Oh, and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” I tape that every night.
PGN: Me too! Favorite curse word?
AY: Can I say the f word in the paper? I love it, it just goes with everything. Not that I’m a huge foul mouth, but with the occasional toe stub, I might let loose. But I have to be cautious during “The Nutcracker” with all the kids around!
PGN: What toy would you not want to get?
AY: G.I. Joe. When I was a kid, I went on this children’s TV show. Me and this girl — she was my girlfriend at the time, but no longer — were competing for toys and won the consolation prizes. They thought they’d be funny and give me the Barbie doll and her the G.I. Joe. She begged me to switch after but I refused. The Barbie had this outfit that changed colors in the sun, there was no way I was giving that up. It was the best gift ever.
“George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” runs through Dec. 29 at the Academy of Music. For more information, visit paballet.org.
To suggest a community member for Family Portrait, email [email protected].