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PAAM’s oldest and most advanced dancers perform the Rockettes’ dance, an audience favorite with impressive eye-high kicks.

From hip-hop elves to cotton candy fairies and reindeer Rockettes, Performing Arts Academy of Marin’s (PAAM) annual Holiday Spectacular show featured a blend of festive performances to celebrate the holiday season. This year’s performances, on Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, marked the 13th anniversary of the Holiday Spectacular, a beloved holiday tradition for dancers and the Bay Area community.

The Holiday Spectacular follows the storyline of “A Scarf in Union Square,” an original concept by Annie Leese, the owner of the PAAM studio.

Leese explained that when she was a little girl, her hardworking father took her on their annual father-daughter breakfast and finally let her get a sixty-cent tube of Lifesavers after saying no countless times before. Ecstatic, Leese put the special candy prize in her pocket, but when she went to eat it later, it was gone. This devastation of losing something meaningful inspired Leese to create the “A Scarf in Union Square” storyline.

“[The story is about] the idea of getting something that’s meaningful, no matter [the price]. It’s less about how much it costs [and more about] who gives it to you. That was the idea behind the story: it’s a scarf the character [Elliot] wants, then the Mom decides to get it, and [when] the item is lost, it’s the journey of the scarf [through dance],” Leese said.

Leese attributes the show’s quick turnaround to the dancers’ generational connections.

“The [dancers] who have done roles for several years in a row become the anchors, passing down the tradition to the new [dancers] that are coming into that role,” Leese said.

Although the show encompasses a diverse range of styles, including ballet, hip-hop, acro and jazz, students also gain skills beyond dance from the Holiday Spectacular.

“[Our dancers] learn [principles like] communication, responsibility, friendship, confidence and [how] to put themselves out there when they’re on stage, and anything could happen,” Leese said.

Sophomore Berkeley Smith has danced with PAAM and performed in the Holiday Spectacular for eight years. This year, Smith was cast as one of the lead roles in the story: the Mother, Felicity. With an average of 10 hours of rehearsal per week for the show, Smith has had to learn time management and organization to balance school and dance.

“When I get my work, I do it [right away] so I don’t have it sitting around. I’m [also] a very scheduled person, so I know what day I’m doing each of my homework [assignments], and that helps me not feel overwhelmed,” Smith said.

Still, even the most disciplined dancers face challenges behind the scenes. Day-long rehearsals, technical demands and the pressure of synchronizing choreography present obstacles that most audience members never see. Backstage, dancers must navigate high expectations and the natural stress of performance. Yet, despite exhaustion, the dancers remain committed to one another.

That commitment prompts Smith to return to the Holiday Spectacular year after year. Throughout her many seasons in this annual show, Smith has consistently enjoyed the community and collaboration that make it possible.

“Performing at the Palace of Fine Arts makes me realize that the Holiday Spectacular is bigger than just me. We have all the crew members backstage who work for the Palace of Fine Arts, doing the curtains and the lights. It’s cool to reflect on that and [understand], this is so much more than just me and dance; it’s a whole performance,” Smith said.