As you read this article, one St. Albert daughter will be driving across Saskatchewan to reach the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Dance School by Sunday.
Risa Larmand, 12, a student at J.J. Nearing Elementary, was accepted at the prestigious dance academy for a four-week intensive throughout the summer.
“I really like dancing and it’s what I want to do when I’m older. Most of my friends will be away and I probably wouldn’t see them anyway,” says Larmand in a philosophical tone.
A devoted fan of So You Think You Can Dance, the young ballerina has long admired the work of choreographer Stacey Tookey. And when she watched Twitch or Mia Michaels’ twists, spins and leaps she was right there with them wondering where her future lay.
Ironically, the four-foot-nine dancer is more attracted to the rhythms and grooves of jazz choreography as opposed to the more formal classical ballet. “It’s really energetic and fun and I love jumping with it.”
Since all western dance uses ballet as a foundation, the summer training will help perfect Larmand’s technique, posture, foot turnout and arm strength.
“It will improve all my styles of dance. ” She started dancing at age three and now attends classes 10 hours a week in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, musical theatre and modern.
Larmand learned about her acceptance in September 2009 through the mail, about a week after her audition. “I started screaming and crying,” laughs Larmand, recalling the experience.
Her mother Tia Carroll, an instructor at DanceCo, also runs a dayhome. “It was funny. All the kids in day care heard her and were wondering what was going on.”
It took a while for the news and what it would mean, to sink in. For Larmand it would mean separation from everything she’s known. For her parents, it meant deciding if the budget could afford the $3,400 fee for training, residence and outings. In the end, the young dancer’s dream overcame all obstacles.
The school has laid out a strict eight-hour a day, six-day training schedule centred on ballet, character ballet and modern. And unlike many kids her age eager to hit relaxing beaches, Larmand looks forward to the discipline. “I like it when they work you hard. You improve a lot that way.”
But it’s not all work. There are planned events such as attending a Cirque du Soleil performance, seeing the vampire movie Twilight Eclipse and going on a riverboat cruise.
But in freeing herself from the routine of home, there’s a small price to pay. “I’m just going to have learn to do my own laundry and put my hair in a bun,” she laughs.
