After being chosen to play the lead role in the New York City Ballet’s Dec. 27 production of “The Nutcracker,” Ashley Hod said she was surprised by her selection because of her young age.
“I was very, very shocked. I was so surprised just because I felt lucky enough to be the Dewdrop last year at 19,” said Hod, 20, who grew up in Great Neck. “I’m so young and have a whole career ahead of me. It wasn’t even on my radar to say the least.”
The Sugar Plum Fairy role, she said, is typically given to one of the principal dancers, which is the highest level of dancer in the ballet. She said she is currently a member of the corps of dancers, which is two steps bellow a principal and one step below a soloist.
“Principals only do principal roles so for them it’s an everyday thing,” Hod said. “But to see my name getting to do a principal role is a dream come true.”
Last year, the former Great Neck South High School student was chosen to play the role of the Dewdrop for two shows.
Besides “The Nutcracker,” Hod has also appeared in “Swan Lake” and “Sleeping Beauty” with the New York City Ballet, she said.
Hod said she started dancing at the Great Neck School of Dance around the age of four, and when her mother later saw her potential, Hod was taken to audition before the School of American Ballet, which she said is considered the training school for the New York City Ballet.
She was admitted to the School of American Ballet in 2003, where she trained for nine years before getting into the New York City Ballet in 2012 at the age of 17.
“Getting into the company is an achievement in itself because it is one of the top companies in the world. It’s been my dream company since 11 years old,” Hod said. “Since I made it into the company I considered myself making it big.”
She said she knew she wanted to play the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy after her mother took her to see “The Nutcracker” when she was 5 years old.
“To be able to start getting roles here is unbelievable,” Hod said. “It’s still so surprising to me and I hope it keeps coming.”
“I work my hardest everyday and I’ve been very appreciative of being here and hopefully it shows in my dancing,” she added.
As a corps dancer, Hod said, she sees the most competition because it is the rank where all dancers are looking for their opportunity.
The roles for each ballet dancer are not auditioned for each time the company does a production — once you get into the company, you are in. The company then picks among its own dancers who will fill each role, she said.
“One thing I have learned is to never compare to other dancers. We’re not the same and they don’t want you to be the same as anyone else,” Hod said. “People see someone else learning a role and wonder why are they not learning that role. If someone else is doing a great job, it’s them doing a great job. It has nothing to do with you. There could be a role coming to you and you have no idea about.”
She said getting on stage in front of a large audience does not make her nervous, it makes her want to show off her skills.
“What’s interesting about going on stage is I don’t get nervous when I’m up there. I’m nervous when I’m on the wings,” Hod said. “I want to show a little of who I am in the dancing. If it’s a smiling role, you can see my genuine smile and my personality .”
She also said her family has supported her throughout her journey, something that other dancers don’t always have.
“I would not be where I am today without my incredible family that I go home to as much as I can in Great Neck,” Hod said. “Ballet is a huge sacrifice but not just for the dancer herself, but for the family. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that family.”
“I feel like she’s the pride of Great Neck and she inspires other little girls to train hard and work hard,” said Ayal Hod, her father.
