On a canvas is a girl in a vivid blue shirt holding a glass of water. She looks through the glass, the water magnifying her face. “Baby, I’d Call That Half Full”—the title-- is senior Avivah Paskowitz’s favorite of her many paintings.

Audience members settled into their seats and the movie theater lights turned off. As the screen displayed a starry background, the Star Wars logo appeared, and the iconic theme composed by the legendary John Williams queued, slightly altered but familiar enough to raise excitement for a diverse crowd of adolescents, middle-aged men and even a couple of elderly folk, some dressed in Star Wars-themed costumes and T-shirts.

Going to sleep at midnight on a regular basis is not a rare event for most Shalhevet students, but try doing so after four rigorous hours of jazz, tap and ballet. This is no rarity for freshman Adira Waldman, who will perform in The Moscow Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Wiltern Theater on Dec. 20 and 21.