Christmas came early this year for seven young Haywood County girls, as they performed selections from the beloved holiday classic “The Nutcracker,” dancing alongside the professional members of the internationally acclaimed Atlanta Ballet in a recent show at Western Carolina University.

The girls, ranging in age from 9 to 13, are students at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde. They were invited to participate in the Atlanta Ballet’s Nov. 11 performance at Western because of a long-standing successful relationship between the ballet company and the dance academy, said Sharon Story, dean of the ballet’s Centre for Dance Education.

“It has always been a great pleasure to work with Angie Henley and Angie’s Dance Academy,” Story said. “We have been affiliated with Angie’s for nine years teaching summer weekend intensives, and I have always found that Angie, her staff and dancers are always of the highest standards and a joy to work with. We were thrilled that the Angie’s Dance Academy could join us on stage in the wonderful new Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.”

For some of the girls, who took the roles of the nesting dolls for the evening’s performance of “Nutcracker Suite,” sharing the stage with the Atlanta Ballet was a dream come true. For others, it was just another night under the lights — in spite of the fact they had less than two weeks to prepare for the performance.

“It was a little scary for me, but I think most of the girls really didn’t understand the magnitude of what they got to do,” said Dianne Franklin of Waynesville, whose 11-year-old daughter, Sierra was among the Angie’s dancers taking part. “I think there were more butterflies for the moms and dads than there were for the girls.”

That’s in large part because, in spite of their young age, the dancers are already seasoned performers, Franklin said. “Angie does an excellent job at her recitals,” she said. “The girls really didn’t seem to think about this performance any differently than any other performance.”

Members of audience for the sold-out show, held in the 1,000-seat performance hall of Western’s newly opened Fine and Performing Center, praised the production’s youngest dancers for exhibiting poise and professionalism way beyond their tender years.

“The girls were simply splendid,” said Dianne Lynch of Sylva, who works as chief of staff for the university. “They looked beautiful up on that stage, and they did not miss a beat. I don’t believe the ballet company would have done any better had they brought in young dancers from Atlanta or some other big city. It’s great to know we have that kind of talent here in Western North Carolina.”

The students who performed in “The Nutcracker” were Samantha Carter, 11, daughter of Joey and Kelly Carter of Canton; Sierra Franklin, 11, daughter of Robby and Diane Franklin of Waynesville; Jessie Haynes, 11, daughter of David and Sandra Haynes of Candler; sisters Morgan and Whitney Hollifield, ages 9 and 13, daughters of Kenny and Carla Hollifield of Candler; Savannah Morris, 11, daughter of Jim and Barbara Morris of Bethel; and Kinzee Young, 10, daughter of Rob and Karen Young of Clyde.