Dancing through Christmas
by Caylee Lamb
Christmas is a time of rejoicing in the birth of our Savior, celebrating with family, eating many different kinds of food, and, for dancers participating in The Nutcracker, lots and lots of practicing. NSA helps many students, like dancer Leahnees Miller, focus on what they love, while getting a Christ-centered education.
Leahnees Miller, a tenth-grade student, has been dancing for twelve years. It is no surprise that this is her ninth year dancing in The Nutcracker ballet. Leahnees tells me that she spends 28-30 hours per week on dance practice, and that she loves the discipline and hard work ballet takes.
For The Nutcracker, rehearsals start in August. Leahnees rehearses every week night for at least a couple of hours after technique classes, all day Saturday, and occasionally on Sundays. When asked when she starts thinking about the ballet, Leahnees says she’s thinking about The Nutcracker all year long. She also says that she loves being a part of The Nutcracker and that it is her favorite part of the year.
This year, Leahnees is performing December 11 through December 15. There are a total of five performances. All of the days have at least one performance, but there are two performances on the 11. Leahnees will be performing the roles of Spanish soloist, Waltz soloist, Snow soloist, and Mouse King! The dancers switch roles every performance, which means that another dancer on the same level has the same roles as Leahnees. On Thursday morning and Saturday night, Leahnees will perform as a Spanish soloist and Snow soloist. Then, on Thursday night, Friday night, and the Sunday matinee, she will perform as the Mouse King and twice as a Waltz soloist.
Leahnees says that she is very grateful for NSA. “It can be difficult to balance out ballet and academics,” she says. Most pre-professional dancers do online programs for academics. Before NSA, Leahnees went to a public school her whole life. “It was a big change and as crazy as it sounds, NSA is a lot more hands on than public school in my experience!” She says, “I’m really grateful that NSA is online and also pushes me everyday to be the best student I can be!”
I am so thankful that NorthStar has helped so many families and students pursue what they love. I am praying that Leahnees will have an amazing time performing in The Nutcracker this year! Keep on dancing!
Caylee Lamb, a 10th grade student, has been at NorthStar for over a year. She is a part of the Prayer Warriors' team at NSA, and participates in acting and drama in her free time. Although she enjoys writing for the Navigator, she hopes to find a career in the field of science one day.