She'll find out Sunday.
Burn, a 17-year-old senior at Joliet Catholic Academy, will be featured in three different dances of the Tchaikovsky masterpiece.
"I always watched The Nutcracker and read the books about it around Christmas time," said Burn. "Now I'm really excited to be on stage dancing in such a phenomenal production."
The Nutcracker is the story of Clara and her Nutcracker doll that comes to life and takes her on a journey through the imaginary world of known as the Kingdom of Sweets.
"Not only is the dancing extraordinary but the music is simply amazing," said Burn. "It's a beautiful mixture of song and dance in a wonderful land that doesn't exist. It brings out the imagination in all of us."
Kenneth von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet will presenting The Nutcracker at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Rialto Square Theatre.
Burn studies at von Heidecke's Naperville school of ballet. Von Heidecke, who also has a Joliet school for ballet, combines Romantic-era ballet with that of Russian neo-classicism and has an enrollment of 300 students between the two schools.
Burn auditioned in early October with about 70 others. She will appear as a Russian folk dancer along with 5 other girls in one piece as then form part of "The Snow," which features 24 dancers.
Burn will then dance as a flower that welcomes young Clara into the land of sugar-plum ferries.
"I love being on stage," said Burn, who has been dancing in classical ballet for three years. "It's been a lot of hard work and now my family and friends will get to see it pay off."
"She has given up a lot of her social life to rehearse and dance," said Mary Burn, Lindsay's mother. "She's come a long way with the classical ballet. It's given her a serious focus and her grades have even improved."
The younger Burn goes on to say that the disciplined style of dancing that von Heidecke implements has made her appreciate ballet more.
"Working with him [von Heidecke] has shown me what it would be like to be part of a professional ballet company. The more advanced dancers have a passion and dedication that makes you want to really work harder and become a better dancer."
One of the best things Burn is looking forward to with The Nutcracker is seeing the fans after the show. "I can't wait to come out after the show," exclaims Burn. We get to stay in our costumes and all the kids come up to take pictures with us. We'll feel like a celebrity for a day."
12/12/02
