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The Little Ballet Theatre’s 42nd annual production of Tchaikovsky’s holiday ballet leaps to life
Story by REBECCA SEDLAK
Photos by DANNY MILLER
ehearsals started Oct. 1, and area
dancers from age 7 on up have been
practicing for two months before
the big weekend: three back-to-back
performances of “The Nutcracker” at Astoria
High School’s auditorium on Saturday and
Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4.
“I love when it all comes together and
you get to see them do it in their costumes
for the fi rst time. It just takes up a whole
notch,” says Maddox Dance Studio teacher
Emily Gilbertson Madsen. “Once they get
their costumes it makes it come to life.”
Madsen, a Seaside High School grad who
danced Clara herself way back when, is in
her 12th year of choreographing scenes in
the Little Ballet Theatre’s annual holiday
production, including coaching this year’s
KING MOUSE
Patience Womack, senior at Astoria High School
Other parts: Dance of the Snowfl akes, Arabian Coff ee,
Waltz of the Flowers
I’d say that King Mouse is my favorite. It’s a part I’ve
always wanted since I was younger. A couple of the girls
who played the King Mouse when I was younger were girls
I looked up to when I was little. I was a baby mouse twice
and a big mouse four times, and now it’s my senior year so
it’s kind of like I’m top of the mice now. The dancing in it is
fun because it’s a lot of leaps, which is what I like to do.
THE SNOW PRINCESS
Maia Mahoney, junior at Astoria High School
Other parts: Puppet, Princess of the Kingdom, Russian
Nougat, Waltz of the Flowers
It’s fun being in a tutu — I know everybody says that,
but it’s true. And having a solo is fun: It’s just you and you
get to, like, express in your own way. Snow Princess is my
favorite part. The dancing is a lot of stuff that I’ve done
already, so picking it up was easy.
Clara, danced by Anita Barbic.
“I love bringing the Clara out of girls. I
know what it means to put yourself in Clara’s
shoes,” Madsen says. “It’s fun to come up
with new choreography for each individual
Clara. There are dancers that have stronger
skills — someone has these legs that go
ARABIAN VISION
a
Andrea Harris, sophomore, Astoria High School
Other parts: Puppet, Snow Angel, Dance of the Snowfl akes, sho
Dream Fairy, Russian Nougat, Waltz of the Flowers
just a
My favorite part is probably Arabian Vision or being a I
Snowfl ake. I love Arabian Vision because I’ve always taken t
tumbling classes, so it’s something that I’m like good at
been
and that I enjoy doing. And with the Dance of the Snow- who
fl akes, it’s just all of us together, so it really looks like a big abou
production that’s really beautiful.
fac