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Putting on a production of “The Nutcracker” is no small feat, despite the bevy of local performances on offer during the holiday season. Mountain View’s Western Ballet allowed ==I Voice== photographer Magali Gauthier behind the scenes to document the controlled chaos.

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CalMatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media.

Andrea Gemmet is the editor of the Mountain View Voice, 2017's winner of Online General Excellence at CNPA's Better Newspapers Contest and winner of General Excellence in 2016 and 2018 at CNPA's renamed...