The Hawaii State Ballet studio whirred with dozens of young dancers and parents in the midst of "The Nutcracker" rehearsals on a recent afternoon.

In the middle of all the bustle, four teens sat in a tight circle, waiting for the start of their ballet class and seemingly in their own sweet world.

Emily Diehl gently brushed blush on to the cheeks of Ela Tokay, who put on lip gloss then tossed it over to Lisa Awaya for a quick application. Next to them, Spencer Keith slowly stretched his legs.

"They're my best friends," said Tokay, 17. "I love them all."

The close foursome are gearing up for Hawaii State Ballet's production of the Peter Tchaikovsky holiday favorite, which opens Friday at the Mamiya Theatre.

After performing the Christmas classic together for about eight years, this production will be their last, spurring the friends to reflect on what "The Nutcracker" means to them and to a bond that goes beyond ballet.

"We've always been doing this together," said Awaya, 17, who has been with the ballet school since she was 4. "It just reminds us that we're seniors, this is our last year (together) and we don't know where we're going to college next year, so we might be separated."

Being separated is hard to fathom for the friends, considering they have been joined at the hips after meeting at ballet school in the sixth grade.

"We're all so close, and we know everything about each other," said Keith, 17. ... "They're like my family."

The three girls attend Punahou School and Keith attends Lutheran High School. When they're not in school or at ballet, they're probably singing karaoke, watching a movie or driving around "to somewhere random," Awaya said. "I probably spend more time with them than with my family."

There's never a dull moment among the bunch.

"I can do pretty much anything with them because they just make it really funny and fun no matter what we do," said Diehl, 18. "In our spare time, which isn't very often, we usually go to the beach, hang out at somebody's house and have sleepovers."

Being with each other 24/7 makes it all the harder for the group to imagine life without each other next year.

"I see them all day in school, then all day at ballet and then on the weekends," said Diehl, who started dancing with Hawaii State Ballet when she was 5. "It's going to be tough."

Equally tough will be their final "Nutcracker" performance together, Diehl added.

"I'm really sad that it's going to be over because it's always been my favorite time of the year because of the show," Diehl said. "It reminds me of Christmas, so I just love it."

Tokay agreed.

"It's definitely really sad because so far in my life, this is all I've known every Christmas: 'Nutcracker,' stress, fun," Tokay said. ... "I'm going to miss everybody here."

But the foursome — who have played practically every role in the production — have years of fond memories to cherish.

Among the most memorable for Awaya and Keith: practicing for their performances as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier.

"We've had our share of falls and drops," Awaya said, laughing. "I probably shouldered him in the chest, kicked him in areas that shouldn't be kicked and he's dropped me multiple times, but it's been fun."

For Tokay, it's the times right before performances that she treasures.

"My favorite parts of 'Nutcracker' are before the shows and in-between the shows, because our group of friends will find a place on stage or in the audience when it's empty, and we'll just sit and play games, talk, take tons of pictures in our costumes, and just have really fun times," Tokay said.

It's that kind of fun and friendship that Keith will miss most.

"Everyone changes, you know, when you get to college. ... You can't be best friends forever," he said. "When we come back, I just hope we can still have a good laugh, still understand each other."

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.