A Pirouette Onto Center Stage

17-Year-Old Takes Lead in Ballet That, Years Ago, Inspired Her to Dance

One trip to the San Francisco Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker," and Amber Keeler was hooked.

From that day on, she said, she wanted to be a dancer.

"I was 12 years old and knew then I wanted to be a professional ballerina," said Amber, an Osbourn High School senior, who saw the show while visiting her old home town in California. "I think it was the beauty of the art form that really got me interested. I just loved how their bodies could move and create such beautiful pictures."

Amber has spent the past few years in the Manassas Ballet Academy's studio, working to turn her childhood dream into a reality. With determination, hard work and a lot of sweat, the 17-year-old is inching closer to her goal, clinching one of the lead roles in Manassas Ballet Theatre's "Nutcracker" production this year.

"I was really excited when I got the role," said Amber, who will play Clara in the shows Saturday and next Sunday. "It makes me feel good because I have worked so hard and finally have a role that will show off what I can do."

On Tuesday, Amber spent three hours at the studio, working on technique before practicing for the performance. With sweat dripping down her face and determination in her eyes, Amber spent the class doing kicks and pirouettes while balancing on the two-inch block that makes up the tip of her toeshoe.

"Sometimes I'm in complete awe when she goes up on her toes or when she leaps or turns while leaping," said Shanae Hill, Amber's mom. "It's just amazing to me."

Although Amber decided five years ago to focus on ballet, the Manassas resident graced the stage well before that: when she was 3 years old. Amber said she got into dance because she wanted to be like her big sister, who was taking tap and jazz classes at the time.

"We put Amber in tap and jazz, but as she got older, it became obvious she was a ballerina," Hill said. "She has a beautiful mind for ballet . . . and her lines and extensions are gorgeous."

Amber began ballet when she was about 5. She was a natural, Hill said, and even at a young age, other students were watching her to see what move was next.

Amber transferred from another local studio to the Manassas Ballet Academy in 2005 to focus on ballet. Although she was new to the studio, she was not new to ballet instructor Amy Grant Wolfe, who is artistic director of the Manassas Ballet Theatre, the only professional ballet company in Northern Virginia.

"Amber is the same age as my daughter, and I first saw her at a show at Jennie Dean Elementary School," said Wolfe, adding that Amber and her daughter, Cece, went to Jennie Dean together. "She was just adorable, and I had asked my daughter if she danced. It was just a coincidence that she later chose to focus on ballet and come here."