DO YOU WANN' DANCE? YOUNG DANCERS TRY OUT FOR UPCOMING PRODUCTION OF `NUTCRACKER'

Tamara Ballinger embarked on a 90-mile drive from St. Peters, drove at a crawl past a major traffic accident in St. Louis and nervously waited for permission to audition with the last group of girls.

It all became worth it, however, when the 14-year old was cast as Clara, a major role in the ballet The Nutcracker Suite.

"I wasn't too sure I would even get here; then we didn't know if I'd get to audition," she said. "I just wanted to try this out."

Ballinger was one of more than 60 young dancers ages 8 to 18 who auditioned for a role in the ballet Friday evening. The Minnesota Ballet will use the local dancers in a professional production that will be performed in Cape Girardeau by in December.

The ballet is being sponsored by the Community Counseling Center Foundation as a fund-raiser for the Community Counseling Center. Money raised from the event will be used to provide services to mentally ill patients in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Madison, Perry and Ste. Genevieve counties.

Allen Fields, artistic director for the Minnesota Ballet, conducted the auditions in Parker dance studio. He said this is the first performance he's produced that is sponsored for a philanthropic effort.

"We're one of the few professional companies that goes into a community and utilizes the local talent," he said. "Usually we perform as part of a concert series; that they're using it as a fundraiser is phenomenal, actually."

For the dancers, the audition was the phenomenon. Many had seen versions of "The Nutcracker" performed dozens of times and said getting to dance in the production was their dream.

Olivia Swingle, 11, of Cape Girardeau said she's seen the ballet performed "gobs." She said it didn't matter what part she played, as long as she was included in the cast.

Paige Pritchard, 8, of Cape Girardeau said she enjoyed the auditions but didn't get to dance enough.

"We only got to do two or three things and we were sort of bored, but it was fun," she said.

Although members of the Minnesota Ballet are the professionals in the production, Fields said professional conduct will be required of each dancer from the community. Each cast member and one of her parents will sign a contract today stating they are willing to commit to the production for rehearsal every weekend through Dec. 18, the date of the final dress rehearsal, he said. Anyone missing a rehearsal will be dropped from the cast.

Amanda Sharp, 16, of Cape Girardeau is willing to make that commitment. She is sacrificing a trip to Florida to fulfill her dream of performing in the famous ballet.

"This is what I wanted to do," she said. "I'm giving up a lot but it's worth it."

The enthusiasm and nervousness that pervaded the auditions was not confined to the young dancers. The faces of anxious parents mirrored those of their daughters even though they sat on the opposite side of the closed studio entrance while their daughters auditioned.

"They're anxiously awaiting for their big sister to make it," said mother Teresa Williams about her children Andrew, 4, and Katie, 2. However, the two younger children seemed much calmer than mom as they waited for 8-year old Emily to come out of the dance studio.

Kim Swartz, executive director of the Community Counseling Center Foundation, said she shared their nervousness for a different reason.

"This is the first time we've ever done anything of this magnitude," she said. "The foundation board hopes they will net between $30,000 and $50,000 on this event. Really, we think the sky's the limit because we've never done this before."

FILLING THE BILL

CLARATamara BallingerMICEAndrea Wilson, Kaeli Marie Kimes, Courtney Schoessler, Audrey Feuerhahn, Carson Bahn, Alex Anne Troxel, Taylor McMillan, Paige Pritchard, Catherine Feuerhahn, Susan Zimmer.SOLDIERAshley Smith, Emily Williams, Morgan Feuerhahn, Rebecca Jo Keller, Anne Marie Barnhardt, Meghan Orr, Megan Green, Lorrin Lynn, Catherine Moreton, Sarah Goeke.ANGELSStefani Mueller, Rebecca Schild, Amy Wichern, Kristen Clifton, Melanie Cooper, Leah Warren, Meredith Toole, Jennifer Kaelin, Lauren Bailey, Lisa Roe, Amanda Marie Boswell, Christina Lynn Hendricks, Elizabeth Fluegge, Holly Barer, Elizabeth Nussbaum.YOUNG GIRLS' PARTYOlivia Swingle, Lauren Froemsdorf, Lacey Reed Hayes, Lorrin Lynn.MOTHER GINGERMeghan Orr, Megan Green, Morgan Feuerhahn, Ashley Smith, Sarah Goeke, Catherine Moreton, Kristen Clifton, Amy Wichern, Rebecca Schild.

OLDER GIRLSJulie Gerecke, Sarah Price, Olivia Harline, Ashley Illers, Amanda Dumey, Amy Mangieri.SPANISHJennifer Lewis, Brianna Womick, Heather Nicole Connel, Bridgette Birk.ARABIANAmanda Sharp, Beth Bowlin, Jami Plouffe, Shannon Tompkins, Dana Johnston, Emily Wilson, Hydi Andrews, Rebecca Keller, Katherine Howard.MAIDAmanda Sharp, Beth Bowlin, Mandy Brooks