Hard work and perseverance paid off for 10 talented Dancemakerz ballet students as they fine-tune their routines before hitting the Hamilton Place Theatre stage next Thursday to perform in the National Ballet of Cuba’s The Nutcracker.  

Aayla Decoff, Callie Clements, Christina Litt Belch, Bella Bowman, Sarah and Jillian Stickland, Olivia and Megan Fayarchuk and Megan Whaley each landed a role in the party scene or as mice and candy in the highly regarded holiday performance.

Fellow dancer Kelly Martin clinched the lead role of Clara Stahlbaum in the ballet performance, a character she looks forward to portraying in front of a big audience.

“I am thrilled,” said the Grade 8 Balaclava Public School student. “I am just so happy that I will be able to have the part as Clara. It’s just such an amazing experience to be able to work with everyone and to be in an actual production.”

In the spring, the Dancemakerz ballet students participate in The Nutcracker audition in their respective age group. It wasn’t until months later that they received the big news. In the fall, the group of 10 young ballerinas started rehearsing for the performance’s December debut.

For Martin, the rehearsals are longer. Every Sunday, the 12-year-old Carlisle resident spends an hour working on her Clara routine. Then, she joins other dancers to rehearse their party scene choreography.

But the hard work and effort invested in the holiday production is well worth it for these young, aspiring dancers. “It is such an honour to be able to work with the Cuban dancers and to be able to perform on stage with them,” said Martin.

The fact that all Dancemakerz students who auditioned were cast in The Nutcracker shines a bright light on the Waterdown dance company, its owner, Christie McKay, and ballet instructor, Irina Egorova.

Attributing her students’ success to “regular hard work in the technique class,” Egorova stressed the importance of staying consistent throughout her lessons.

“The technique will support you well,” she told her students.

Keen on following through on her dreams of becoming a professional dancer, Martin is a driven youth who is committed to ballet. Her devotion to the art has also landed her an invitation to perform as Clara in Cuba.

“I’m going to Cuba in early January,” said Martin, noting that the first week will be spent in Varadero vacationing with her family. The following week, the Carlisle girl will don her Clara costume and hit the stage in Havana.

“It’s one thing to be able to perform in Hamilton Place but it’s another to actually be able to go back to where all the professionals are from in Cuba and perform on that stage,” said Martin.

The Dancemakerz students who landed roles in the National Ballet of Cuba’s The Nutcracker will also join Martin on the renowned stage.

The Hamilton Place Theatre unveils National Ballet of Cuba’s The Nutcracker, directed by Alicia Alonso, on Thursday, December 10. Performances run through until December 13.
Tickets for The Nutcracker are available online at www.hecfi.ca.