George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” features a young CFDA star – an angel, to be precise.

Michelle Smith’s eight and a half year old daughter Sophia is in the New York City Ballet production this year. The third grader’s star turn as an angel fills the Milly designer with pride, especially as this particular ballet is a holiday family tradition.

“I’ve taken her to see ‘The Nutcracker’ every year since she was two and a half,” Smith told CFDA.com. “The children performing on stage piqued her interest – she wanted to be one of them.”

Becoming one of them, however, doesn’t just happen with the blink of eye. “All children must attend School of American Ballet to be eligible to audition, so she auditioned for SAB last year and got in,” Smith explained.  “It is a very rigorous ballet school – the official school that feeds into New York City Ballet. This year was the first year Sophia was old enough to audition for ‘The Nutcracker.’”

As a mother with a natural protective instinct, Smith may have been nervous throughout the process, though she shouldn’t have been: Sophia was the ultimate pro.

“You never want to set up your kid for a potential failure, but she had an amazing, mature attitude about it,” Smith said. “She told me she wasn’t sure if she would get in to ‘The Nutcracker,’ but really wanted to experience to audition process. We were so thrilled and proud of her when she went through the audition process and got in.”
When she saw her daughter on stage for the first time, the designer admitted to tears of pride.  “So proud of her” is how she described her feelings. “ I can’t imagine what it feels like to be on the Lincoln Center stage in front of thousands of people–bright stage lights in your face…. especially as a child. She’s a very strong kid, both mentally and physically.”

Post-performance, the family headed across the street to Boulud Sud for a celebratory meal. Throughout, Smith gave her daughter some key advice: “Enjoy this moment. It’s a very special one.”