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| Contributed photo Fourteen-year-old Kelsie Washington, of Caribou, recently performed in “The Nutcracker” with the Robinson Ballet in Houlton. Washington is shown here with one of many new friends she’s made through dancing at the new school, Audrey Dunstan of Millinocket. For additional information about the Robinson Ballet and their remaining five “Nutcracker” performances, visit www.robinsonballet.org. |
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Attendance to The Robinson Ballet’s annual performance of the Nutcracker is a seasonal must for many — and this year, one Caribou teen is part of the show.
Fourteen-year-old Kelsie Washington will be performing all over the state with the ballet company, the culmination of the annual “Nutcracker” performances to take place in Orono on Saturday, Dec. 15 and Sunday, Dec. 16 when the dancers are accompanied by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.
Having already performed in Machias and Houlton, these are the biggest performances Kelsie has ever been in.
“It’s really fun and really cool,” she said. “I’ve never danced far away from Caribou.”
A freshman at Caribou High School, Kelsie found out about “Nutcracker” auditions over the summer while attending a dance camp with the Robinson Ballet. She knew right away she wanted to try out.
“I was kind of scared,” Kelsie admitted, but clearly as her name is printed in the program, she made the cut.
As the months have progressed and performances began on Nov. 17, Kelsie has been enjoying her time learning with the established ballet school. She’s not en pointe yet, but hopes to be next year.
“This is her first year with the group, so it’s almost like her foundation year,” said her dad, Rey. “She’s picking up some new skills and building on those skills, so it’s a new adventure for her,” he added.
Kelsie graces the stage four times during the show — as a child in the party scene, as an attendant in the second act, as part of the dragon and as one of Mother Ginger’s children.
Her favorite part is the party scene, “because it’s full of energy and it’s really a lot of fun because everyone’s basically interacting with each other,” but the most challenging roles are playing an attendant and the dragon.
“As an attendant, I have to make sure we’re basically all on time, and we’re holding candles and I don’t want to get burned,” she said, explaining that the tops of the LED candles they use can get rather warm.
Being the dragon’s caboose also comes with its own set of challenges.
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| Contributed photo Even at four years old, Kelsie Washington was drawn to ballet. |
“I’m totally covered, and I have to basically trust the person in front of me where I’m going,” she said.
The whole experience has been overwhelmingly positive for the teen, as she cited “everything” as her favorite aspect of performing with the Robinson Ballet.
“I’d have to say everything, because I get to interact with all new friends, and then I learn new skills, and I get to perform,” she said.
A younger member of the cast, Kelsie has also had a fair amount of interaction with the older dancers, who are currently at the level she’s striving to reach.
“They’re all part of the Snowflakes, and they’re en pointe, and I really want to be part of the snowflakes,” Kelsie said. “There’s one, she’s the Sugar Plum Fairy, and she’s really good — I think everyone looks up to her.”
While the teen is continuously striving to improve her dancing skills, she’s been learning almost ever since she could walk.
Rey said that that even as a toddler, Kelsie would be dancing through the aisles wherever they’d go.
That’s why he and Christiane, his wife and Kelsie’s mom, signed the tiny 2-year-old dancer up for lessons at Fairy Tales Dance Studio and with a Celtic dance group while the family was living in Europe. (And Rey confirmed that yes, a bunch of two year olds jumping around doing Celtic dancing was pretty adorable.)
While Kelsie started dancing at Caribou-based The Maine Dance Academy when she was 6, her first dancing-memory takes her back to Europe during a sleepover dance event as a little tyke.
“I remember holding this umbrella that I always wanted to hold and I started dancing with it,” she said.
But her mom remembers another coincidental dance moment.
“I recall the first time she saw Robinson Ballet perform ‘The Nutcracker’ at CPAC [Caribou Performing Arts Center] when she was 6 years old; after the show she told me that she wanted to dance with them when she got older,” Christiane said.
For additional information about the Robinson Ballet and their remaining five “Nutcracker” performances, visit www.robinsonballet.org.
