The Joffrey Ballet

link to article here: Daily Southtown

Six young dancers scurried across the hot dance studio while others twirled in circles before engaging in a mock battle.

Around them, professional dancers from the Joffrey Ballet performed playful choreography from the holiday favorite “The Nutcracker.”

“Don’t get caught up in what they’re doing,” said Cameron Basden, assistant artistic director of the Joffrey, as she addressed the young dancers. “You must do your own material and do it well.”

Basden and Carla Graham-White, ballet mistress for the children’s cast of “The Nutcracker,” were presiding over one of the final rehearsals of the holiday ballet.

That afternoon, they gave the children special notes and guided them on perfecting their performances.

The annual production of “The Nutcracker,” running until Dec. 27 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, will feature 117 children performing in two casts.

Graham-White, who has helped Chicago-area children prepare for their roles as soldiers, tree angels, dolls and other characters for the past 11 years, said it’s a joy working with the young dancers.

“So many of them come back to perform in the show but there’s also always a new group of kids involved,” Graham-White said. “The casts get better every year. And no rehearsal is ever the same.”

Children from all over the Chicago area audition for roles in the holiday classic. This year, 17 young dancers from the Southland will be displaying their talents on stage with members of the acclaimed ballet company.

Graham-White said rehearsals have been going on for eight weeks. Auditions were held at the end of the summer at the Joffrey’s studio.

“It’s a fantastic experience for the young dancers,” Graham-White said.

“I call them my mini-Joffrey dancers,” she said. “This is a great education for them to work with one of the world’s greatest ballet companies. They’re learning how to behave and work in a professional manner.”

Graham-White said that, when auditioning youngsters, she looks for good dancers with strong technique as well as those with a genuine love of dance. She also looks for children with personality who “look like they’re having fun.”

For Emily Fugett, 9, of Tinley Park, getting the role in the popular ballet was a dream come true.

“I was kind of scared but happy,” she said.

Emily, who has been taking lessons since she was three years old, attends the Southwest School of Dance in Orland Park and the Dance Workshop in Orland Park.

Though she never saw a live performance of the ballet, Emily, who plays a doll, said some of her teachers encouraged her to audition for the show for the first time this year.

Tillie Roth, 10, of Hickory Hills, is dancing in the ballet for the second time. Tillie, who plays a soldier, enjoyed the experience last year and wanted to perform again.

“When you get on stage, it’s not as scary as you think it’s going to be. I like it,” she said.

Tillie, who started taking lessons when she was 3, studies dance at the Hickory Hills Park District.

Elizabeth Vollinger, 9, of Hickory Hills, also is happy to be involved with the show for the first time.

“It’s actually a lot of fun. I was just a little nervous at first,” she said.

Elizabeth, who performs as a tree angel, studies dance at the Dance Workshop in Orland Park. She’s been dancing since she was 3 and first saw “The Nutcracker” when her two sisters were in it in past years.

“I like it because you get to be creative,” she said.

Palos Heights resident Sarah Dwyer, 9, said this was her first experience with the big production, and she said she wouldn’t mind being in it again. She said she likes the music in the show and enjoys performing as a doll.

A student at the Ballet Boutique in Frankfort, Sarah has been studying ballet for the past six years.

John Schmidt, 10, of Hickory Hills, also is new to the popular ballet.

“I wanted to be in it before but I wasn’t old enough,” said John, who plays a doll in the battle scene and studies at the Hickory Hills Park District.

“I like everything about dancing in the battle scene,” he said.

Kaitlyn Frieling, 11, of Palos Heights, is another first-year dancer in the show.

“It’s been very exciting,” she said.

Kaitlyn, who’s taken lessons since she was 3, studies at the Dance Workshop in Orland Park.

Playing a soldier, she said, is interesting because the battle scene is so fast-paced.

When she found out she was going to be in the production, she said she “jumped around” at home and felt very lucky.

“It’s a fun show to watch and be in,” Kaitlyn said.

It’s the second year in the production for Rachel DiNaso, of Mokena.

Rachel, 11, performs as a soldier but was a tree angel last year. She said so much goes on in the battle scene that you have to be aware of everything around you.

“You have to count and if you’re off, you can be off for the rest of the scene,” she said.

Rachel, a student at Willow Street Dance Theatre in Mokena, has been dancing since she was 3.

“I’m happy to be in it again. I like the whole production, the music, and the dancers are amazing,” she said.