In Tchaikovsky's classic ballet The Nutcracker, young Clara is unsure if her grand adventure with the eponymous figurine come to life as a prince is a figment of a sleeping imagination.
But for Madison Hill and Ashley Burmaster, it's a dream come true to share the iconic role of Clara.
Hill, 15, and Burmaster, 17, will split the demanding role, each taking three performances of the 2013 co-production between Judy Russell's Enchainement Dance Centre and the Prince George Symphony Orchestra.
The D.P. Todd secondary students have been dancing a combined 21 years but this is their biggest role yet.
"Ever since we've been the little kids at the party we've been looking up to the Claras, wanting to be them for so long," said Burmaster.
As a Grade 10 student, Hill said she wasn't expecting to receive the honour this year. "I thought, maybe the next Nutcracker, probably, because I've always dreamed of it," she said. "But then this year came and I was like, 'Oh my God.'"
For the uninitiated, The Nutcracker tells the tale of a toy soldier gifted to young Clara on Christmas Eve by her Uncle Drosselmeyer. Overnight, the toy comes to life and engages in a battle against the Mouse King. Clara and the prince are transported to a variety of magical worlds where they are feted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and crowned as the new rulers.
Hill and Burmaster are in a unique position in the cast. In addition to being the lead role and dancing alongside Nutcracker prince Tristan Ghostkeeper, theirs is the only role to be shared by two dancers - a fact for which both are grateful.
"We're each other's support systems. It's just way easier working with someone else, someone you can go over things with," said Burmaster.
"I know I couldn't have done it without her," Hill added.
Rehearsals for the show began in early October and with only a couple of weeks left until the curtain rises at Vanier Hall, the dancers said they're feeling ready.
"I think our initial reaction [to getting cast] was super excited and then that quickly turned to freaking out, and then excited again," said Burmaster. "And as soon as rehearsals started we calmed down."
In addition to their regular dance classes, The Nutcracker rehearsals on Fridays and Sundays are mandatory occasions for Hill and Burmaster. Along with preparing the role of Clara, each is taking on additional roles for the nights they are in the ensemble.
"For us, it's not too bad, but for the other dancers they have a set place when I'm Clara and [Burmaster's] the other people and then it switches around because I'm shorter," Hill explained.
But all the hard work will pay off by the end of the second act, when the show climaxes with a grand pas de deux - a ballet term meaning a dance for two people. But the Prince George show provides an extra twist to the classic form.
When Judy Russell was first choreographing the show in 1991, she said she was inspired by famed dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov's version of the ballet and formatted the climactic dance as a farewell between Clara and the prince as Drosselmeyer draws her back from the dream world.
"Truly it's a love story. It's a about a girl's first love," said Russell, adding it bookends a journey that started out as hopeful and has a variety of other emotions built into it.
"It's very nerve-wracking, but it's the 'bam' of the whole show," said Hill.
The Nutcracker runs Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 21 and 22 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Vanier Hall. Reserved seating tickets are on sale through Studio 2880 - $31.50 for seniors and 18 and under and $36.75 for adults. A dress rehearsal on Dec. 19 at 7:30 is open to the public with tickets at the door.
