A Pirouette Onto Center Stage
17-Year-Old Takes Lead in Ballet That, Years Ago, Inspired Her to Dance

By Jennifer Buske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 7, 2008

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."

Amber spends almost 10 hours a week at the studio taking lyrical, modern, yoga and ballet. She had to drop tap and jazz because there were not enough hours in the day, she said.

"Sometimes I will tap in my basement if I have time," Amber said. "I'm happy with the way things are, but sometimes I miss just having fun and doing a not-so-serious form of dance."

The strict dance format also comes with a strict dress code. Each day before class, Amber must slick her hair back into a tight bun and pull on a wine-colored leotard. She also adds a black wristband to her left hand. The band belongs to her boyfriend, she said, and reminds her of him.

"Dancing brings me a lot of joy and makes me feel so free," said Amber, who has the flexibility of a Gumby doll. But it also takes a toll on her body, she said, especially on her feet, which are sometimes bloody, blistered and callused after rehearsals.

"No matter what you say to people, some still think dance is not hard," Amber said, adding that ballet requires a lot of core and leg strength training. "I think it is harder than football because it's an art form where you have to make the hard stuff look easy and beautiful."

When not at the studio, Amber spends time at school for classes and band practice or at home doing homework. When she has free time, she said, she enjoys running and ice skating.

"I don't have free time unless it is between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.," said Amber who plans to remain busy after the holidays by auditioning for Osbourn's musical, "Aida." "When my mom used to drive me to my old studio, I'd have to go right from school to class, changing in the car."

This is Amber's second time in "The Nutcracker." In 2006, she played numerous roles, performing such parts as a snowflake, a flower and a court member. A knee injury kept her out of last year's production.

"Even though she couldn't dance, she helped out," Hill said. "She is like a little mom, making sure everything is in place and everyone is happy. Last year, she would bring home costume pieces to sew for people."

This year, Amber is again trying to fight injury. She is having trouble with her arch and rolled her ankle at Tuesday's practice despite having a sock around her foot to keep the muscles warm and functioning.

"I'm just going to fight through it and hope for the best," she said. "We don't have any understudies because the last time we cast an understudy, a few years ago, the girl playing Clara broke her ankle. We think having understudies is bad luck."

As Clara, Amber will be on stage for almost the entire show, dancing with her nutcracker doll during the first half and then watching other performers during the second half when she is in the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

"The hardest part will be sitting the entire second act and then having to do the scene where I wake up from the dream and dance," Amber said. "I'll have to use my feet, which will be numb from sitting so long in toeshoes."

Amber said she is already getting butterflies in her stomach about next weekend's production. Although particularly nervous because she is dancing alongside professionals, Amber said it will still be "an amazing experience" that she will carry with her as she heads to college -- in New York City, she hopes -- to earn a degree in dance.

"She makes a beautiful Clara, and I'm so proud of her," Wolfe said. "She is very professional, and there are few corrections I have to make when I watch. She is already trained so well, and it's a wonderful feeling to know she will take all of this with her as she progresses to the next level."