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Katelyn Fuelling, 11, is an angel in the Fort Wayne Ballet's 2024 production of "The Nutcracker."
CELINA - The night before a ballet performance, when all through the house, a Celina preteen is practicing her routine … as an angel, not a mouse.
Katelyn Fuelling, 11, is an angel in the Fort Wayne Ballet's 2024 production of "The Nutcracker."
The production, which is a longstanding holiday tradition, tells the story of a young girl, Clara, who receives a nutcracker doll from her godfather on Christmas Eve. That night, her dreams take her on an adventure to a magical land where her nutcracker comes to life and she battles the evil Mouse King alongside the prince. He guides her through a blizzard of snowflakes to the Land of Sweets, to be greeted by dancing candies and treats.
Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, "The Nutcracker" premiered in Russia in 1892. The ballet was based on the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" written by E.T.A. Hoffmann.
Fuelling auditioned with hundreds of other dancers and landed the role as an angel, her mother Yvette Fuelling said.
Katelyn trains with En Pointe Dance Studio in Celina under her mom and at the Fort Wayne Ballet.
"The children have an opportunity to train and perform with the Fort Wayne Ballet professionals for the performances, and will also be performing 'on the road' for a couple of their traveling performances," Yvette said. "We received an audition number to wear on our leotards for our audition. The instructors taught us combinations we had to perform. They moved us into different groups and had us dance to different pieces of music. We auditioned for different parts such as angels, mice, party attendees and more."
Katelyn's performance is in the second act and is a part of the Land of the Sweets scene. She is one of 150 ballerinas in the production, Yvette said.
The mother and daughter duo saw the performance last year in Fort Wayne.
"I was amazed how they could do all of that in one act and remember all of that after a few performances," Katelyn said. "It was magical seeing the different scenes and acts. It was fun watching it with my friend and family. I liked how they had different backdrops because other companies don't have (that)."
Her favorite dance is the Arabian and Spanish dances when the prince and Clara are in the Land of the Sweets.
Katelyn has been dancing since she was 3 as part of her mom's studio. Although she has danced all styles including jazz, tap and hip hop, she prefers ballet and lyrical because she can express herself.
For about three years, Katelyn has gone to Fort Wayne Ballet's summer camp but couldn't audition for the winter production because she has other engagements with soccer. This year, the stars aligned and Katelyn has been practicing since October.
Katelyn credited ballet as a stepping stone in her life, saying the art form has taught her about patience, teamwork, dedication and repetition.
"Sometimes I am nervous and I can shake … but once we start dancing, the 'heebie jeebies' get out of me and I get to express myself," she said. "I like how (in ballet) you can express yourself. If you're in a bad mood, you can just get all the anger out and just dance through and be graceful. If you're having a harder time, you can do more powerful dances. It's very cool to go through the process of doing dances and learning new things that you don't know."
Yvette agreed, saying she thinks the arts can help people find themselves.
"She's more introverted and shy, so I think the arts are cool because it helps her to kind of get out of her shell," she said. "It's more than just art, it's more than just dance. Our mantra this season is progress over perfection. Especially, their age right now, they start looking at their bodies and we have to start talking about nutrition and how it's important to fuel the body. You use the mirror as a tool so you're constantly looking at yourself, so you need to love. You need to teach them to love what they're seeing."
For Katelyn, she loves ballet and would like to dance with the studio, although she wants to be an ornithologist when she grows up.
Katelyn's performances are at 7:30 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center, located at 431 W. Berry St., Fort Wayne.
For tickets and details about the performance, visit fortwayneballet.org.
