Three generations dance The Nutcracker
Three generations performed together in the 2022 production of The Nutcracker produced by Miss Georgia Deane’s School of Dance in Milford. Pictured here are Paula Cerulli Lock and Douglas Lock of Hopedale; daughter and grandchildren Stacey, Ryan and Kailyn Croeber of Milford. Courtesy photo.
By Theresa Knapp
Paula Cerulli Lock of Hopedale has been dancing for more than 60 years. She started when she was seven years old and has not stopped since.
Cerulli-Lock, 68, spent many years sharing her love of dance, both personally and professionally. She has taught dance at various levels and she has danced in various productions all over New England.
In December, she performed once again in The Nutcracker, produced by Miss Georgia Deane’s School of Dance in Milford, along with her husband, daughter, and grandchildren.
“My grandson Ryan Croeber, age 9, played the Lead Fritz and a Mouse; my granddaughter Kailyn Croeber, age 12, played a Party Girl, Soldier, and Chinese Corps; my daughter, Stacey Croeber, age 41, played a Party Parent along with my husband Douglas Lock, age 69, and myself,” said Cerulli-Lock.
“Having three generations on stage at the same time in Act 1 is a blessing for me. I have danced since I was 7 and to have my family share my love and passion for ballet is a Christmas gift in and of itself,” she said before the performance.
Her daughter danced in her teens and in college, and her grandchildren are both on the dance team at Express Dance & Acrobatics in Milford.
Cerulli-Lock says, “As a mother and a grandmother, I hope to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren; and I have multiple things in my life that I’d like to leave but most of all is my love of ballet,” adding her mother had also been a dancer.
The 2022 production of The Nutcracker was the 41st year Miss Georgia’s had performed the classic ballet based on the 1816 short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.”
