Charlottesville Ballet presents a special edition of our “Meet the Artist” Series– just in time for The Nutcracker Suite!
Meet Elissabeth (Elli) Barker, a student of Charlottesville Ballet Academy who will play the role of Clara in the 2011 production with the professional company. See her interview below about her training, the role of Clara, and what it’s like to dance with the professional company. And don’t miss seeing Elissabeth on stage at PVCC– Saturday 12/17 and Sunday 12/18 with four performances of The Nutcracker Suite!
Elissabeth Barker
THE BASICS
Name: Elissabeth (Elli) Barker
Age: 13
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Hometown: Ruckersville, Va
Role with C’ville Ballet: Student at Charlottesville Ballet Academy; Elissabeth Barker will be appearing in the role of Clara in the upcoming productions of The Nutcracker Suite.
FAVORITES…
Food: Pizza 
Color: Red and Black
Book: The Umbrella Academy
Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Musician/Band: My Chemical Romance
Quotation: “All your quirks, and all your problems, – even your depressions and your failures – that’s what makes you, you.” –Gerard Way
Spot in C’ville: The Downtown Mall
Business/Store in C’ville: Smoothie King
NERDY BALLET QUESTIONS
Tell us about your dance training: I started taking ballet classes at The Little Gym in Charlottesville when I was 3 years old. After a few weeks, I told my mom I wanted a more serious ballet class. She waited until I was 5 years old and then enrolled me in a ballet studio in Charlottesville.
I have been taking ballet and jazz ever since, with some tap, modern, ballroom, lyrical, and contemporary when it fits into my schedule. I was involved with Charlottesville Ballet during my training at The Dance Barn and I am now an advanced student at Charlottesville Ballet Academy.
What genres of dance do you enjoy?
Right now my favorite is Contemporary. It is different from any style I’ve done before and I’m really enjoying it.
What kind of pointe shoe do you wear?
Grishko Ulanova
Favorite dancers or role models?
My favorite ballet dancer is Gillian Murphy. My life role model is Gerard Way.
Do you have a favorite ballet:
Giselle
Tell us, why do you dance?
Because it is fun. And, you can express feelings and thoughts with dance that you can’t express any other way.
What’s your favorite dance step?
Turns!
QUESTIONS FOR CLARA
How old were you when you saw your first production of the Nutcracker?
9 years old.
Have you played the part of Clara before? For you, what is the most exciting part of the role?
Yes. This is my second year performing with Charlottesville Ballet– I was Clara last year when the company premiered the new production of The Nutcracker Suite. My favorite part of the role is being around the professional dancers at rehearsal and backstage and seeing what a real professional caliber performance is like.
How does it feel knowing that your performance could inspire the next generation of dancers?
Awesome, because I love inspiring people! We have the “Class with Clara” children’s events before each performance of The Nutcracker Suite and I get to be onstage with all the little kids– they are so cute learning all the steps and dancing around in their tutus– it’s really inspiring to see how excited they are about ballet.
What is it like to rehearse and perform with Charlottesville Ballet’s professional company?
It’s definitely cool! The company dancers of Charlottesville Ballet are all so friendly and supportive. I really appreciate the opportunity to be in the show with such amazing dancers. I also get to do a bunch of partnering which is really fun and new for me. I like practicing all the lifts and whip turns/pirouettes with my partner Blake Seidel [who plays The Nutcracker in the production]. I am learning so much and having a lot of fun!
Any other thoughts you’d like to share about The Nutcracker Suite?
It’s going to be a great show! I hope everyone enjoys it!