LEWISTON – The first time Ashton Plummer saw the Merrill Auditorium stage, he feared he might dance right off the edge.

“I was worried I’d fall into the orchestra pit,” said Ashton, who was 9 years old when he first earned a role in the Portland Ballet Company’s “Victorian Nutcracker.”

Four years later, Ashton plans to return to the Portland stage. He’ll also perform here in Lewiston, at Bates College’s Schaeffer Theatre.

And he won’t be alone.

His 11-year-old sister, Melina, will be with the production for her third time. And younger sister, Kaylee, 8, plans to make her ‘Nutcracker’ debut.

The littlest Plummer – too shy to talk about her role as a sugar doll – only shook her head bravely when asked if she’d be nervous.

Under the lights, with an orchestra playing and an audience watching, she’ll shine.

It seems all of the Plummers do.

The children have become the first group of three siblings ever to be part of the annual production, which has a cast of 60 or so dancers.

“There is quite a bit of talent in that family,” said Eugenia O’Brien, artistic director of the Portland Ballet Company.

Not that they were ever a shoo-in.

The Lewiston children, home schooled by their mom, Tina, have been dancing for seven or eight years. They have been taking lessons at the Auburn Dance Center as a way of fulfilling their physical and arts education.

And though both Ashton and Melina were veterans of the elaborate production when they tried out in August – dancing in front of several note-taking judges – they took nothing for granted.

Nor did Kaylee.

“There’s a lot of competition,” said Melina, who faced a flurry of young girls in tights when she auditioned. For Ashton, there were fewer competitors but loftier expectations.

As he gets older he covets bigger and bigger roles, he said.

And for Kaylee, acceptance meant not being left behind.

The anticipation that followed, between the audition and the announcement of who’d been chosen, was almost unbearable, said their mom.

For two weeks, the household held its breath, Tina Plummer said.

Finally, after days of pleas to call the dance company, Tina called the Portland office to see if the results were in.

She was on the phone when the official notice – in three separate envelopes – arrived by mail. The children screamed and yelled.

“They had to call their dad (Matt) at work,” she said. “There were quite a few days of happy kids.”

Then they went to work, spending afternoons and Saturdays at the Maine Dance Center in Portland.

Professional dancers in the company take some of the lead roles, including the Sugarplum Fairy. However, the company works to find places for students in its school of ballet and a few younger children.

“It’s fun and awesome, but you have to be serious at the same time,” said Melina, who, like Ashton dreams of a career as a professional ballet dancer.

“I haven’t really ever wanted to do much else,” she said.

In the production, Melina was cast as a polichinelle. Ashton was a party child. He was also asked to understudy a mouse.

O’Brien said she tries to ease children into increasingly demanding roles as they get older and more experienced.

The Plummers seem ready to handle every part they’re given.

“Anybody in our show is a good dancer,” O’Brien said. The Plummers seem to set themselves apart with their acting.

“They assume the roles completely,” she said.

When he takes the stage with the dance company today, Ashton said he will be nervous but he’ll also feel at home. He tried sports before dancing at age 6 or so.

“Dance is probably what I’m best at,” he said.

Meanwhile, he wants to appreciate each performance.

“It’s hard to believe you’re in a professional dance company, doing something this big,” he said.