The eager crowd begins filing into the immense, dimly lighted auditorium and undecipherable conversations bounce off the tall walls. An announcer stands like a silhouette in front of the drawn stage curtain motioning people to find their seats as the long awaited performance draws nigh. Soon enough, the large felt curtains open to a beautifully decorated stage and the harmonious instrumental notes begin to fill the ears of the audience. A ballerina enters from the side of the stage, dancing in a majestic, almost feeble way. This is what the audience may see. Senior Savannah Gafford, however, sees it from the stage.
Gafford said she first took interest in becoming a ballerina when she was in kindergarten. Throughout her life, she has been in a variety of shows and dance schools in different states. Since she has lived in Amarillo, she has participated in shows such as Cinderella, Dracula, Trilogy and this December will mark her third year of dancing in the traditional Lone Star Ballet show, “The Nutcracker.” She said she hopes to also participate in “Sleeping Beauty” this year.
“[I took interest in ballet when] watching the shows performed by dancers and knowing it was better to be one of them up there dancing than to be a part of the audience,” Gafford said. “I love being in the shows even if I am just a minor dancer or character. Every part has a story behind it.”
This year in “The Nutcracker,” Gafford will play the parts of a shepherdess and a fairy. Over the years she’s played a variety of other parts in the different Nutcracker’s she’s participated in. In her first Nutcracker in one of her previous home states, New Mexico, she played a lamb and the second year she played the part of an angel and a young party girl. In Wyoming, where she also once lived, she played a sugar plum attendant and a ginger snap. Gafford said that in her parts this year, she gets to work with younger children.
“I love my parts,” Gafford said. “The younger dancers who play the little lambs and toys in the Nutcracker are just adorable. It is cute to see how much they look up to the older dancers. You really do set an example for them. They are adorable and fun to be around.”
Gafford said dance and “The Nutcracker” generally affects her time. She said she goes to school like everyone else then goes home to get ready for dance. Gafford typically goes to dance practice for an hour and a half on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and on Thursdays she goes for an hour and 15 minutes. When preparing for shows like “The Nutcracker,” she still attends her regular dance class plus a rehearsal right after. Gafford said the rehearsals gradually get longer where they eventually end up starting right after school and lasting until midnight.
“[The] Nutcracker for me is a magical chaotic time of year, especially here,” Gafford said. “It’s crazy what all everyone does just to put on the most spectacular Nutcracker I have ever seen here in Amarillo. My friends tell me I don’t spend enough time with them because I am always busy with dance, school, or work. It is almost like attending two different schools – one for regular school and one for dance.”
Gafford first got into The Nutcracker here when she saw an ad in the newspaper for tryouts. When she was on the brink of quitting dance, her mom convinced her to tryout anyway and she said she was shocked when she made it. Nutcracker was her first major ballet show. Even though, Gafford said she doesn’t see dance in her future.
“I just dance because I enjoy it, not because I want to become a professional dancer,” Gafford said. “I am excited and a little sad because this will probably be my last year of dance but I’m hoping to have a great time. [Ballet] has helped me face fears and do things I never would have normally tried.”
