by Emily McCann

STA sophomores Cecilia Zanone and Turner Conwell are both participating in this year’s production of “The Nutcracker.” “The Nutcracker” is an annual performance done during the Christmas season by the Kansas City Ballet and students at the Kansas City Ballet School. The production features music by Tchaikovsky and choreography by the late Todd Bolender. “The Nutcracker” runs from December 1 – 23 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Cecilia Zanone

1. When and why did you first start doing ballet?

I was really little like 3 or 4. My mom just put me into dance classes. I was doing lots of classes like gymnastics and jazz and tap and stuff but I stuck with ballet since I liked it the best.

2. What is your position in “The Nutcracker” this year?

I’m in the flower scene. It’s half student dancers and half professional company dancers, and I’m also in the snow scene in the first act and the flower scene is in the second act.

3. What are some of the perks of being in “The Nutcracker”?

You get to be around the professional company dancers and since I think I want to do that as my career, it’s nice to see their ability and how well they dance. One of the company dancers I’m friends with is Kaleena. She is right next to me in the flower dance, and she’s really nice and helps all the students with corrections if they need it.

4. What are some of the downfalls of being in “The Nutcracker”?

The only one is how much time it takes up, especially on the weekend, but it’s all worth it because I really like it and I get to be with all my friends at dance anyway.

5. Can you describe the tryout process?

The two main people of the ballet school come into class and observe. It’s not really an official audition–just for them to see what you can do and if they think you’re ready, they’ll send you an email telling you what part you got and what cast and stuff like that. Most people get in [“The Nutcracker”] but it also depends on height or age or if you aren’t at a certain ability but I would say most people do get in.

6. How often do you practice?

Four days a week for [“The] Nutcracker” and regular dance classes everyday except Sunday. For the most part, class is 4:30 to 8:30 everyday.

7. What kind of costume do you get to wear?

For both scenes, they are long and called romantic tutus. They’re really flowy with a top layer and tulle underneath so it’s poofy, and I wear a tight bodice with glitter for the snow scene and for the flower scene the skirt is the color and the petal around it on the bottom. And then is like a leaf on top.

8. How do you get ready for a performance?

I go two and a half hours before show starts and have a warm-up class with the company. It’s usually about an hour long. Then we go back to dressing room, put makeup on, get dressed, then we put on our shoes and the costume. Underneath the costumes, some girls wear nude leotards with nude straps and pink trunks (they’re like granny panties) and then pink tights.

9. Do you get nervous?

Well it makes it better when you’re on stage with lots of other people and your friends and you smile at them. It gives you energy and calms you down. Also, once you get into it, it’s more about having fun and not being precise. I get nervous if my family is there, but most people in the audience aren’t ballet dancers so they don’t know if you mess up and that takes off some pressure. I always try to do my best and if I slip up, that’s okay.

10. Who are some of your ballet inspirations?

Kim Cowen was a KCB dancer for 20 years and she’s now a part of the staff of the school and she teaches me once a week. She definitely is one of my inspirations, and also Tyler Peck is a dancer with New York City Ballet and I’ve seen her in a performance and also in videos and stuff like that.

11. How long do you plan on continuing ballet?

This past summer, I went to Boston Ballet’s summer program for 5 weeks and they had an audition for the year-round program. I didn’t audition but I think I do want to go back there and audition for that. If I get into that, I think I would take that and go there year round. If not, I want to dance in college and after that, audition for professional companies but most girls after high school go straight to a company. If I don’t get in, I will still go to college. I think I want to end up with a company and keep dancing.

Turner Conwell

1. When and why did you first start doing ballet?

I was about four or five. My mom just signed me up.

2. What is your position in “The Nutcracker” this year?

I am a flower and in the snow scene. We are the core dancers. There is us and then the snow queen and king. In the flower scene, there’s us and then the dewdrop who is the soloist.

3. What are some of the perks of being in “The Nutcracker”?

As a little kid, you’re usually an angel or a mother ginger extra and you move your way up to usually a soldier. Then maybe party scene kid and then you might move up to a ginger or a trepak then maybe mirliton and then finally as a student, the best is flower or snow.

4. What are some of the downfalls of being in “The Nutcracker”?

The commitment and the hours you have to put into it. [I feel like I miss out on stuff because of ballet], especially during the season and trying to live up to the expectations of the artistic staff. They just have really high expectations. I have really close friends at ballet since you’re there a lot.

5. Can you describe the tryout process?

If you’re auditioning for a summer intensive program, schools come to KC to audition people and usually I just look at the sheet of who’s coming and I decide on some places I want to go for the summer. I audition and see where I get in and ask people where they like to go the most and I usually like where I go and learn a lot. [I tried out] for the youth company three years ago and it’s just like a pre-professional company our school has for high school students, and I auditioned going into summer before eighth grade. I’ve auditioned for [“The] Nutcracker” every year since second grade, and when you’re younger, you usually get in and you have to learn to be accepting of the role you get. It’s still a fun thing.

6. How often do you practice?

With [“The] Nutcracker” and regular practices and youth ballet, we are usually called for classes six days a week but when [“The] ]Nutcracker comes up, we end up coming in almost every day. A typical night is 4:30 to 8, but it changes when you have rehearsals and what comes up. Usually, Saturdays are 10-3 but with [“The] Nutcracker,” it can go longer.

7. How do you get fitted for your costumes?

They’re really pretty. I like them a lot. For flower and snow, they’re all pretty much the same size and I think they just clasp on the back and I think they just size it on the back. You can adjust the width of the bodice.

8. How do you get ready for a performance?

We get called in for a warm-up class and after the warm-up class, you have some time for hair and makeup. I have to get my hair really wet so it’s sleek, and I don’t have any wispies. I put it in a high ponytail and put it in a bun from there. For makeup, in [“The] Nutcracker,” the flower and snow wear really dramatic stage makeup which takes a while. Then I have to make sure my ribbons on my pointe shoes are sewn in so they don’t fall out on stage (that happened once). Finally, you pin in your hairpiece if you have one and I still might warm up some more so I don’t get cold since I have an hour in between the warm-up class and the performance.

9. Do you get nervous?

Yeah, I do. Some people say it helps not to go over it and just be confident. I just tell myself I’m confident and I know it since I’m there so much practicing it. I’d feel more nervous if my family and friends were there because it just like shows them what I’ve accomplished.

10. Who are some of your ballet inspirations?

No one in particular but just watching different professionals that I’ve seen around the country, not just like KCB, but other companies too.

11. How long do you plan on continuing ballet?

I definitely want to do it in college and it would be fun to teach maybe. I know I want to keep going to summer intensives this summer and next summer because you improve a lot in those and it’s fun to experience different parts of the countries. I’m just not sure what I’m doing after college. There’s always administrative positions in dance or choreography.