Two local girls play Clara in the Nashville Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Dearborn Heights resident Sarah Sibole (left), a 12-year-old seventh grader at Divine Child School in Dearborn and Lauren Yakima (right) a 10-year-old fifth grader at Moraine Elementary in Northville, are sharing the role of Clara in a scene from the Nutcracker with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular now through Dec. 24 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Both girls are students of Loni Lane at the Noretta Dunworth School of Dance in Dearborn. (Photo courtesy of the Nashville Radio City Christmas Spectacular.)

By SUE SUCHYTA

            Two local girls hit the jackpot when they were in Las Vegas last summer without even setting foot on the casino floor.

RADIO CITY ROLES

            Sarah Sibole and Lauren Yakima, two young Dearborn-trained dancers, learned within minutes of each other July 12 that they would share the role of Clara Nov. 18 to Dec. 24 in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the 4,000-seat Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.

            In addition to the Nashville show, there are companies this year in New York City, Boston and Durham, North Carolina.

SARAH AND LAUREN

            Sibole, a 12-year-old from Dearborn Heights, and Yakima, a 10-year-old Northville resident and the granddaughter of Mary Ellen Bork of Dearborn Heights, were both at the West Coast Dance Explosion national finals dance competition at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas with the competition team from their Dearborn dance studio, the Noretta Dunworth School of Dance, when on July 12 they got the exciting news.

           

58 PERFORMANCES

            When the show closes Christmas Eve, each will have performed Clara in the “Nutcracker” number for half of the 58 performances.

             Sibole says being in the show is an incredible experience.

NO BUTTERFLIES, JUST TUTUS AND TEDDYBEARS

            “I was nervous on opening night but after that I relaxed and just had fun with it,” Sibole said. “The more crowded the Opry is and the more children in the audience, the more I enjoy it.  It is fun to see their faces when I come out on stage in my tutu.”    

            The girls, the only two children in the Nashville cast, are also in the show’s Living Nativity scene.

AFTER THREE YEARS OF AUDITIONING, SUCCESS

            This is the third year that both have auditioned for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and the first year that either was cast. Their dance teacher Loni Lane told them about the audition dates and encouraged them to try out.

SURVIVING AUDITIONS

            This year’s journey began May 4 when Lauren’s mother Mary Beth Yakima took the two girls to New York City for the initial audition. After surviving the first round of cuts they returned the first week of July for final auditions at the New York City Dance Alliance national dance competition finals. The girls say they were up against 50 to 60 other girls in the finals for the part of Clara.

            Lauren Yakima said that at the final auditions the girls went into a room for orientation, then to another room where they learned a couple of ballet routines.

            “Then they cut girls slowly and through each routine (until) they finally had the top ten finalists,” Yakima said.

            Both girls admitted to being nervous at the auditions.

            “Yeah, I was really nervous,” Sibole said. “It was different because I was going to be in a huge show instead of just getting a scholarship.”

FOLLOWING IN HER SISTER'S BALLET SHOES

            Lauren Yakima said she felt a little bit of pressure because her sister Amy Yakima, now 18, had played Clara in both the Detroit and New York City companies.

            Lauren Yakima said that she handles audition nervousness by focusing on the routine being taught.

             “I just kind of wait until I get to the audition room… and once I get in there I… get a little excited,” Yakima said. “Once they start teaching (the audition routine) I just kind of calm down.”

            The auditions tested their ballet skill. Sibole is a Level 5 Cecchetti student, while Yakima is a Level 4 Cecchetti student. The Cecchetti method is an internationally recognized graded method of teaching classical ballet technique that is anatomy-focused and teaches self-reliance in dance moves as opposed to imitating an instructor. Beyond Level 6 a dancer would be preparing for either teaching or a professional career in ballet.

MYRTLE BEACH

            After learning in July they had been cast in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the girls reported to Myrtle Beach with their mothers on Nov. 1 to learn the dance routine.

GRAND OLE OPRY IN NASHVILLE

            Then on Nov. 9 they reported to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and started rehearsing on stage for the Nov. 18 opening.

            While in Nashville each girl stays with her mother in a hotel suite with a kitchenette.

DANCING ON STAGE WITH HOMEWORK IN THE WINGS

            Sarah said that rehearsals in Nashville ran from 1 p.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. at night. Sibole said they work with tutors at their suites when they aren’t rehearsing or performing. The tutors get their assignments from their schools back home.

             “I’m doing the same thing as what the school is doing now,” Sibole said. “I’m just doing it at different times.”

            Sibole is a seventh grader at Divine Child School in Dearborn, while Yakima is a fifth grader at Moraine Elementary School in Northville.  

            When they are in the wings waiting to go on, Sibole said she is excited, not nervous. She said she dances by herself for a couple minutes, then with costumed Teddy Bear dancers who come on and perform with Clara.

STAGE MOM TELECOMMUTES 

            Her mother, Cheryl Sibole, an accountant for local business, has been doing her work from Nashville, juggling Sarah’s performance schedule and her job.  She said her family has been very supportive. 

NEW FRIENDS AND FAMILY

            They girls say the adults in the cast treat them like little sisters or nieces.

            “Sometimes we’ll get breaks… we’ll do puzzles in our dressing rooms with some of the cast members,” Yakima said. “And they’ll play board games (with us).”

            “The cast members and crew are all so very nice and I'm going to miss them so much when it is all over,” Sibole said.  “They take good care of the Claras… we've even gone out bowling together.  I've also learned to knit while I've been here.”  

DANCING DREAMS

            Yakima said it will be hard going back to her ordinary routine in January. She plans to save most of her earnings for her college fund, but want to keep “a little of it out for myself.”

            Yakima said she would like to audition for Clara again next year. Girls auditioning must be proficient on pointe, be between seven and 14 years old, and under 4-feet-10-inches tall.

             Sibole says she’s always wanted to be a dancer.

            “I love performing on stage and now that I've danced professionally, I know for certain that this is something I want to continue to do when I grow up,” Sibole said.  

            “It’s just a great experience,” Sibole said, adding that she and Yakima have become closer friends during their time in Nashville.

            “It’s a really great experience… because for a lot of girls this is a once in a lifetime chance to be in the show,” Yakima said. “I think it’s amazing.”

Dearborn Heights resident Sarah Sibole (left), a 12-year-old seventh grader at Divine Child School in Dearborn and Lauren Yakima, a 10-year-old fifth grader at Moraine Elementary in Northville, are sharing the role of Clara in a scene from the Nutcracker with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular now through Dec. 24 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Both girls are students of Loni Lane at the Noretta Dunworth School of Dance in Dearborn. (Photo courtesy of the Nashville Radio City Christmas Spectacular.)