A Truly Fairy-Tale Prince

By LIESL SCHILLINGER
The New York Times

When Diana Byer, the artistic director of New York Theater Ballet, found Steven Melendez at a homeless shelter in the Bronx 10 years ago, he did not look like a future Nutcracker Prince. "I was 7, I had never danced, and I didn't know a lot about ballet," said Mr. Melendez, now 17, as he took a break from rehearsing with Clara and the Flowers for the company's performances of "The Nutcracker" this weekend and next. "I liked football."