Ben Malone, 15, son of Gail and Sid Malone of Bangor, decided last summer that ballet, for him, was more than a pastime. His parents enrolled him as a boarding student at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, where he studies under Russian maestro Andrei Bossov six days a week.

When Malone began with the Bossov troupe in its preseason summer training last July, he thought there was something familiar about one of the ballerinas, Stephanie Pouzol, 16, who has been cast in principal roles with the Bossov over the last three years.

“I recognized him right away,” said Pouzol, “the thick wavy black hair, the ready smile and the way he’s everybody’s friend right away.”

Pouzol last knew Malone when she was 5 and he was 4, both pupils at Bangor’s Montessori School.

Stephanie is the daughter of Phil and Karen Pouzol of Orrington. She and Malone were both born at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

“I remembered Stephanie once she pieced together where we knew each other from. She stood out from the others because she was outgoing and laughed a lot – even as a little girl,” Malone said.

He will dance the lead role of the Prince in Bossov’s “The Nutcracker” ballet, which opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at the Waterville Opera House. They will perform the ballet four times in the course of the weekend.

In addition to her solo role as Spanish Chocolate in the “Land of the Sweets” segment of the ballet, Stephanie will dance core roles in the ballet’s famous “Snow Scene” as well as the “Waltz of the Flowers.”

Both dancers cite the same reasons for coming to Bossov for training, “Andrei [Bossov] and Natalya [Getman, Bossov’s ballet mistress] know exactly what they are looking for when they teach, and when they make the cast list, you know they speak from years of experience,” they said. The artistic standard trumps all else – “friendships, politics, whose parents have influence – it doesn’t matter.”

Malone and Pouzol said that in addition to the seriousness with which Bossov and Getman view their work, there is always a good laugh in each class or rehearsal.

The 10-year-old Maine-based dance troupe attracts dancers worldwide to its Pittsfield studios. In the years since its inception, its annual Christmas ballet has featured male leads from the republic of Ukraine, Ohio, Michigan, New Hampshire and Alaska. Female soloists have come from Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, Mexico, Brazil and British Columbia. Several of them, male and female, are now dancing professionally.

For this year’s “The Nutcracker,” there emerged a record number of native Mainers as soloists. The 2006 Nutcracker roster, in addition to Ben and Stephanie, features two Maine natives in the principal female roles. Rose Whitney of Clinton will dance “Maria,” the girl who kisses the Nutcracker doll and brings him to life as a handsome prince. Americanized versions name her “Clara” and cast a much younger girl in the role. Erica Marcoux of Shawmut will dance as “Sugar Plum Fairy.” Both have studied under Bossov for the past eight years.

Maine natives are increasingly getting principal roles with the Bossov Ballet.

The company’s executive director, Michael Wyly, said, “In the early years it was the dancers who made the commitment to come from afar who had made the stronger effort in class and often achieved superior ability as a result. Sometimes they brought with them superior talent. But what has been happening all along is that as Maine dancers come to us in greater numbers, often drawn by our national reputation, we are seeing more who are serious. When they have the passion and do the work, under Andrei’s and Natalya’s tutelage, they make strides. I expect to see this happening with increasing frequency as we move into the future.”

“The Nutcracker” has special meaning for Andrei Bossov. It was first produced in his hometown, St. Petersburg, Russia, on Dec. 17, 1892, when an audience heard Tchaikovsky’s uplifting music that now spells Christmas to audiences worldwide.

Tickets to Bossov’s four performances of “The Nutcracker” may be purchased by calling the Waterville Opera House box office, 873-7000. Admission is $17, $15 youth and seniors.