Port Elgin student to play lead role in 'Nutcracker' production

It's a dream come true for one little girl.

Courtney Burke, a Grade 4 student at Port Elgin Elementary School will play the lead role of Clara in the Atlantic Dance Academy's two-performance production of The Nutcracker, set for Saturday, Dec. 19 at the Amherst Regional High School in Amherst.

A student of Dance Mistress Dina Leisch, Courtney has been studying ballet for the past four years.

Leisch said recently that she chose Courtney because she sees a lot of potential in the young girl.

"I saw in her much dedication; she takes her dancing very seriously and she has followed the program very well over the past four years; therefore she has made much progress. Courtney is a very pretty little girl and she practices hard. I'm glad I chose her; I was right," Leisch said.

A person of few words, Courtney did say that she's very excited to be playing Clara and not at all nervous about her upcoming performances.

"I've always wanted to be Clara, ever since I started ballet," she said.

Maternal grandmother Sharon Wall noted that Courtney talked about learning ballet when she was just a small child and over the past four years has been constantly practicing her moves and doing the exercises which are vital to being a ballerina.

"When she's at home she's always doing some ballet moves. She even does the splits, which she couldn't do before becoming a ballet dancer. She dances around practicing all of the moves Dina has taught her; she really loves it," Wall said.

Exercises tighten the body and make it more supple, giving dancers the ability to execute moves that most people cannot.

"It's important for dancers to do their homework, to practice the moves and do the exercises at home, because it greatly increases their flexibility," Leisch said.

The upcoming production of The Nutcracker is the fourth for Leisch's students since the opening of the school in September 2005. Most of the dancers are from the Amherst area, although Courtney and one of her PERS classmates, who also studies ballet, live in the Port Elgin area.

Leisch notes that the production will portray the story of Clara, the little girl who falls asleep on Christmas Eve and dreams that she's in a world where toys become larger than life.

She meets up with the Nutcracker Prince who defends her from the Mouse King. Most of the dancers are from nine to 15 years of age with several younger students also taking part.

"The production is really a lot bigger this year because in earlier years the students had not reached the level of training to be able to carry out all of the scenes. But they have all progressed so well that this year we're able to expand it to include much more," Leisch said.

The support of parents and families of the students has played a large part in the success of the ballet program and for the annual Nutcracker productions, Leisch said.

"It takes dedication by the student and the parents or grandparents, for them to study and learn ballet," she said.

Leisch is the owner/operator of the Atlantic Dance Academy, located at 106 Church Street in Amherst. The school currently has 80 students enrolled in the ballet program.