Notions of ‘The Nutcracker’ danced in her head
By Sean McGee| Nov 21, 2007
Wellesley Townman
Wellesley - It’s 8 a.m. on a Saturday and Lauren Baltrus, a 12-year old seventh-grader from Wellesley, is already awake and on her way into downtown Boston.
What’s keeping her from sleeping in, as most middle school students her age like to do on the weekend? She has to be at ballet class by 8:30 a.m. sharp to begin warming up.
And that’s just the beginning of a long, busy, tiring day for young Lauren.
The rest of her Saturday is dedicated entirely to dance: ballet class at the Boston Ballet Company from 9-11a.m., a quick hour for lunch, jazz class from 1:30-3 p.m. (just for “fun”), followed by rehearsal from 3:30-4 p.m. for her lead role as Clara in this winter’s production of “The Nutcracker,” and finally a general rehearsal from 4-6 p.m. for her secondary role in the ballet’s Christmas Eve party scene. The day likely concludes with some type of “Nutcracker”-oriented social event with her friends and fellow dancers from the Boston Ballet. And this, of course, is only one day out of an entire week devoted almost completely to dance.
If possible, weekdays are even more hectic, since she doesn’t get home from school, ballet class and rehearsal until 9 p.m.
Finding time for school can be a challenge. “I kind of wing it,” said an exhausted but cheerful Lauren. She usually works in the car, traveling from one dance event to the next, or in the last couple of hours before she goes to bed around 11 p.m.
Lauren began dancing when she was only 2 years old. She didn’t really become serious about it until about third grade, although she can’t remember any one point in time that marked the transition from a casual interest to complete commitment. Ballet is her main dance focus, although she does “other dances for fun” mostly during the summer.
She has been studying with Boston Ballet for the past seven years and first appeared in “The Nutcracker” five years ago as one of the dolls who are briefly onstage during the party scene. From that moment onward she has progressed each year, hoping to eventually play Clara. That dream has finally come true. “I love the music, the costumes … I love everything about ‘The Nutcracker,’” Lauren said.
Lauren said she is passionate about dance both because she is good at it and because “it’s hard but it’s beautiful.” Her love for ballet, in particular, stems from the fact that it is more challenging because it’s “more focused on technique and details” than other dance forms.
Although she forfeits sleep, free time and a social life with her friends from school to concentrate on dance, she believes it’s all worth it: “I just love dancing, it’s meant for me … it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice because it’s what I do and there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing,” she said.
She even gave up a fun-filled Halloween night with friends that had been planned far in advance because the first rehearsal for “The Nutcracker” happened to be scheduled for the same evening. She and several other dance friends attempted to trick-or-treat in Beacon Hill afterward, but it didn’t work very well. “People got mad” because it was late at night, Lauren said, laughing. She was able to steal some of her brother’s and sister’s candy, though.
This poised young lady admits that “being Clara, you feel so nervous and then you start thinking what-if.” However, she said, “Once you’re onstage it’s so much fun and the thought of … performing for the thousands of people who paid to see ‘The Nutcracker’… you feel special.” She has learned the intricate and extensive choreography of the lead, she said, through attentive watching of her teachers and constant repetition. Even in her limited free time at night and on the weekends, one can often find Lauren in her room listening to the production’s music and walking through her routines.
Although her current goals are to perform well in the upcoming production, reach the highest level at the Boston Ballet and attend ballet camps during her summers — she attended the North Carolina Dance Theater camp for five weeks this past summer — Lauren wants to pursue a professional career in dance, beginning with the Boston Ballet Company. Eventually, when her performance career ends, she hopes to become a ballet teacher. She is fairly sure, however, that she won’t forego college in order to do so, much to the relief of her mother, Susan.
Lauren also performed in Disney’s recently released movie “The Game Plan,” which starred Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and was filmed in 2006. It was “like [preparing for] ‘The Nutcracker,’” she said, “except a lot longer; lots of rehearsals and then filming, then I had to wait a year to see it.”
“It was funny to see ‘The Rock’ dance,” she added. When “The Nutcracker” ends,it’s “back to ballet class [full time] and [waiting] for next year’s ‘Nutcracker’” as well as auditions for other productions, but first up is some much-needed sleep, relaxation and time spent with friends.
Lauren, who shares the role of Clara with two other girls, will perform in the lead on Dec. 9, Dec. 13, Dec. 20, Dec. 21, Dec. 27 and Dec. 28.
Friends and fans can check out an online diary about her experience in “The Nutcracker” at www.bostonballet.org/nutcracker/clarasdiary.html.
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