There are still two months to go before the holidays, but Maia Zinselmeyer’s Christmas is already the best ever.
“I’m not always a Christmas and winter person,” the 13-year-old Nakusp resident said. “But this year, I’m really into the whole Christmas spirit.”
The reason for Zinselmeyer’s early holiday excitement is that she won the role of Clara in an upcoming production of The Nutcracker Suite. She won the part over other local dancers in recent auditions in Revelstoke.
The Nutcracker, a two-act ballet with music by PI Tchaikovsky, is as much part of Christmas as Santa Claus and carolling. Written in 1892, it features the story of a little girl, Clara, and her adventures in a magical dreamland with a toy soldier and sugarplum fairy.
The production in Revelstoke will be by Ballet Victoria, who’ll bring 12 professional dancers to the community for two performances just a week before Christmas. Zinselmeyer and 25 other dancers from Revelstoke and Nakusp will fill out the troupe, performing as mice, soldiers, and other parts.
“I’m really excited about it,” says the Grade 8 student at Nakusp Secondary. “It’s a different opportunity from the ones I have had in dance before.”
Zinselmeyer, who’s only been dancing for about two years, pretty well just fell into the role.
“We were at the farmer’s market, signing up for fall lessons at Elevations Dance Studio, and they told us about this opportunity,” she said. “So we said ‘let’s try it out and see how it goes.’”
“We drove up to Revelstoke and went to the audition. I wasn’t really expecting to do super well because it was my first audition ever.”
But while several young girls competed for the role, Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre manager Miriam Manley says Zinselmeyer stood out.
“Not only does she have a great ballet technique, but her acting in the auditions, she showed herself to be very expressive,” she said. “She’s a perfect fit for the part.”
Zinselmeyer’s dance instructor agrees.
“It was down to two dancers.,” says Jenny Newsome of Elevations Dance Studio. “She got picked because of her acting abilities. Her technique is very strong, but to be Clara you have to have a lot of acting skills.”
It’s still a long way to opening night, and Zinselmeyer knows she has a lot of work to do. She’ll be taking the stage in her first performance ever, working with career dancers.
“I have to do a lot of strength training and conditioning, a lot of flexibility exercises,” she said. “I also need to know lots of vocabulary, French vocabulary.”
There’ll be 13 Sundays of rehearsals in Revelstoke, as well as extra practice in Nakusp and at home, she says.
“I’m going to focus on technique, taking it slow and understanding the choreography. Also acting a lot too. We run over choreography, your part, where you’ll be and acting.”
Though still very much a novice, Zinselmeyer says she’s caught the ballet bug and wants to continue with classical dance after this experience.
“I think to do lots of styles of dancing, you need your ballet and technical foundation,” she said. “I really like ballet because it helps your technique for other styles of dance.
“It’s a universally important kind of dance.”
It won’t be a lonely pursuit, though, as dance is incredibly popular among her peers.
“Lots of my friends dance,” she says. “Now I have a tight-knit group of dancer friends, and they are all pretty excited for me.”
Her parents couldn’t be more proud.
“We are really, really excited for Maia, and very proud of her for having that confidence to go and try out the audition and accepting come what may, and have that be part of her experience,” said Jodee Zinselmeyer.
She can’t wait for her relations to arrive for this year’s holidays and watch their daughter perform.
“It will be a perfect prelude to Christmas,” she said.
The Nutcracker Suite will be performed on Dec. 18 and 19 at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre. Tickets sell out fast, so it’s best to buy them early.
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