18-year-old Camille Margaret Jackson celebrates 10 years of performing “The Nutcracker” at Atlanta Ballet

“Growing up, we knew the dancers like Misty Copeland, Michaela DePrince, Lauren Anderson, Janis Joplin, and we saw them paving the way,” Camille Margaret Jackson (above) said. Photo courtesy of Kim KenneyIn a fluffy white tutu, dark green top, and well-loved pointe shoes, Atlanta Ballet dancer Camille Margaret Jackson stretched her arms out as the beginning notes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” streamed out of the speakers in a practice space at the Michael C. Carlos Dance Centre. In moments, she transformed, a smile lighting up her face, as she glided across the room, performing a series of crisp arabesques and pirouettes that hushed the room as she unveiled a glimpse of her performance for this year’s “The Nutcracker.”Holiday season after holiday season, ballet performances of “The Nutcracker” enchant audiences around the globe. For many people, the Christmas classic is their first introduction to the world of ballet; for young dancers, it’s likely their first chance to feel the magic that comes about from gliding on a stage. At just eight years old, Lithonia native Camille Margaret Jackson felt that magic when she performed as a snow fairy in her first Nutcracker with Atlanta Ballet...