Nutcracker ballet showcases local talent

Four Clear Lake youngsters have seized the opportunity to take the stage with members of the Minnesota Ballet to present the Nutcracker Saturday, Dec. 7, on the North Iowa Community Auditorium stage.

Savannah Williams and Sky Toyne are best friends who will be playing best friends in the show.  The 11-year-olds have been cast in the production as dancers.  Savannah will be playing young Clara, while Sky will perform in the large party 

scene.  While the girls are new to a production of this scale, they are seasoned dancers in their own right.  Both have more than six years of formal dance training, with Williams being a current student of the Dancin’ With Roxie Studio and Toyne formerly taking Dancin’ With Roxie classes.

Flyers distributed in the area alerted local talents to an audition date for the Nutcracker at NIACC.  The girls explained they were separated by age group, sizes and heights and put through  a variety of challenges, including learning to perform as mice, and even cookies.

“I remember seeing the Nutcracker as a little girl and remember liking the story.  It was magical,” said Sky.   “I wanted to try out as a dancer, but I really like the acting.”

The overall experience has captivated Savannah, who appears in three scenes. Her most memorable will likely be the battle scene. At a party in her family’s elegant Manhattan townhouse a century ago, Clara receives a wooden nutcracker. After midnight, he comes to life and leads his toy soldiers against mice warriors. With Clara’s help, the Nutcracker triumphs and magically turns into a prince.

“I can’t wait to rehearse and have everyone there and the professionals,” said Savannah.  “We learned everything in one day and have been practicing in small groups since then.” 

The cast auditioned in September and began rehearsing in early October. 

Annika Shallberg, from Clear Lake, is also among the 57 area dancers, ages eight to 18-years-old, representing 19 North Iowa communities. She will portray a Spanish maiden in the party scene.

Eleven-year-old Mattea Skinner joins the cast as an actor.  The Stebens Children’s Theater student will appear as a caroler in two scenes of the show.  Skinner said she took a summer acting class and was bitten by the acting bug.  Directors of the Nutcracker enlisted the help of Stebens Children’s Theatre Director Tom Ballmer and Tiffany Perry, from the Dance Centre in Mason City and Charles City, to work with local talent in the show.  Skinner said she joined a few other Stebens students at the audition and was thrilled to be given a part.

“I like how we get to be in a group, singing and performing with professionals,” said the fifth grader.  “Acting is something that is really fun.”

Alliant Energy Foundation presents the Nutcracker at the North Iowa Community Auditorium on the NIACC campus at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. - Read More Via e-Edition