By Jill Darling

For as long as Leah Mead, 17, can remember she has danced. "As a little girl, I was always dancing around the kitchen, so Mom thought dance class would be good for me. I was happy there, so I kept it up," says Leah of Newark Valley.

She has taken twelve years of ballet lessons, the last seven at Ballet Arts Theatre in Endicott under the tutelage of Tina Christina-Price. Leah has danced in six Nutcracker ballets to date, her favorite role being the Spanish variation dance. This year, Leah will dance in the local cast's leading role of the Snow Queen. Ballet Arts Theatre will host their eleventh annual performance of the Nutcracker at Binghamton University's Anderson Center on Saturday, December 12 at 2:30 and 8 pm, and on Sunday, December 13 at 2:30 pm.

For the last four years, Leah has had intensive ballet training five days a week for 1 1/2 hours each day and 2 1/2 hours on Friday and Saturday. She also takes additional classes to help her technique. The classes include technique, pointe, modern, and a variations class. Leah also participates in summer school programs. She went for a two-week program at Pioneer Valley Ballet in Massachusetts. Last summer she was awarded a partial scholarship from the New York State Summer School for the Arts (NYSSSA).

According to Leah, some girls are more naturally prone to ballet and have "raw talent." Their natural body shape is already thin and willowy and they have tremendous in-bred flexibility. Leah said, "I have to work hard with proper diet and exercise to achieve those same qualities. Competition is very keen." She continued, "A ballet dancer must be strong and thin, with no bulky muscles, and move gracefully about, making everything look effortless."

Leah, a lifelong homeschooler, is currently a junior. She is a member of Faith Christian Fellowship in Apalachin, where her mother, Karen, is administrative pastor and her father, Brad, an engineer with Lockheed Martin, is head deacon. Leah cleans the church twice a week and she and her twin sister, Nicole, help with the soundboard during church services. Nicole happens to be the stage manager for the Nutcracker this year.

In addition to her dancing, Leah enjoys painting in all mediums. She has won blue ribbons at both the Tioga County Fair and the New York State Fair for her artwork. Her dance instructor, Tina, likens dancing to painting. She perceives the stage as a canvas and the dancer as the paint, creating art in pictures for the viewer. Leah will continue to paint herself as a dancer on canvas for audiences to enjoy. She looks forward to this Christmas season and transforming herself into the Nutcracker's Snow Queen.

Tickets for Ballet Arts Theatre's Nutcracker are $15.50 general admission, $12.50 for seniors and students, and $9.50 for children under 12. They can be purchased by calling 777-ARTS.