For most Homewood High School students, the end of the first semester means exams and then Christmas break. However, for ballerina Julia Anne Heathcock, the end of the year is Nutcracker season.
Julia Anne, a junior at HHS, has been dancing ballet for 14 years, and four at the esteemed Alabama Ballet. This year will be her ninth Nutcracker season, where she will be a flower and Spanish, two roles from the show.
Preparations for the Alabama Ballet’s production begin in August, and as the clock gets closer to show time, rehearsals become longer and more frequent. For Heathcock, balancing her dance career with academic responsibilities becomes increasingly difficult.
“As rehearsals start to pick up,” Heathcock said. “It gets really hard to balance it all properly. Especially in December, when I have exams and rehearsals almost every day. We even do multiple shows in Anniston before the shows in Birmingham, I have to miss two or three school days for that.”
Rehearsals can last up to 6 hours after school, limiting time for homework and studying. Practice can also be during the school day requiring her to check out and make up classwork on top of her homework.
Julia Anne’s mom, Molly Heathcock, recognizes the strain put on Julia Anne during this busy time of the year and does her best to support her during the chaos.
“I do a lot of listening,” Molly said. “When she gets all worked up about everything she just has to talk it out. I’m there to listen and remind her to take one thing at a time.”
Even with the added responsibility that dancing puts on Julia Anne, she says that she wouldn’t change a thing as ballet is simply her passion.
“Even though it can be a lot and be very draining physically and mentally,” Julia Anne said. “I still really enjoy performing, in the long run, the practices and everything are worth it when I get on stage.”
The Alabama Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s composition of the Nutcracker will take place in the BJCC concert hall with 9 shows from December 15th through the 23rd. Julia Anne will perform in each show and get to experience her hard work paid off.
