Elegant figures spiral onstage, costumes fluttering like Christmas snow, accompanied by a swell of orchestral music and the rapt attention of an enchanted audience. With the ability to tell stories purely through graceful movement, ballet is a demanding form of dance that only a few can pursue as a serious form of art.

Junior Nina Zietlow is one of these dedicated dancers. She’s participating in a production called Clara’s Dream, a variation of the classic ballet story, The Nutcracker, playing at the Macalester College Theater from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21.

Zietlow has been a serious ballet dancer for about five years, ever since she decided she wanted to take it to the next level when she was twelve: “When I was younger, I absolutely hated [ballet]…[then I] went to see the production of Billy Elliot [the musical] and I was like ‘I want to do that, that’s super cool,’” Zietlow said. She is part of the dance company called Saint Paul Ballet, which provides classes for aspiring dancers as well as performances for the public. Through Saint Paul Ballet, Zietlow performed in The Nutcracker for the first time last year, and has also been part of productions such as Peter Pan, The Enchanted Toy Shop, and Cinderella.

Zietlow got involved with The Nutcracker, a serious commitment both physically and time-wise, due to her love of the show. “It’s one of my favorite ballets… I like the story it tells and the diversity of emotion,” she said. A classic, two-act production, The Nutcracker was originally created by Tchaikovsky, who put together both the music and the storyline. Adapted from E. T. A. Hoffman’s novel, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, this production is treasured for its grand, sweeping symphonic works, rich in both inspiration and originality. Although Zietlow is performing a variation of The Nutcracker called Clara’s Dream, the show follows the same storyline, music, and history that applies to The Nutcracker of the productions.

Although she’s in the “land of sweets”, “Chinese dance”, and the famous party scene, Zietlow’s role in the flower corps, at the end of the “land of sweets” section is her hardest. “It’s hard to get into a character, especially when you’re playing a flower,” Zietlow said. “I strive for perfect technique which isn’t exactly what most people do…but by really trying to perfect the steps, I think I’m more able to express myself and let myself be in charge of the scene,” she said.

However, ballet dancing is a very challenging activity, requiring extensive physical ability and more flexibility than most sports. Not only does Zietlow have to master her steps on stage, she has to match her movements with those of all the other ballet dancers she’s coordinating with to create a seamless performance. This requires twenty hours a week for rehearsal. “It’s a very individualized thing, but at the same time you have to work with everyone and engage…it requires a huge amount of connection and a huge amount of thought,” she said, referring to the ways ballet dancers have to both manipulate their bodies as they dance and express their characters at the same time.

Regardless of the challenges, Zietlow views ballet as an integral part of her life. “It’s a really great experience … it pushes [me] to do things that most people just cannot do.”