By JOHN BENSON

Special to The Gazette

A desire to dance is what Hinckley Township resident Terri Orban saw early on in her daughter Amanda, who is now a Hinckley Elementary School first-grader and student at the Christine Jones-Meneer School of Dance.

“Amanda loves to dance,” Orban said. “In fact, her favorite show is ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ She’s always wanted to do ballet, and she started taking classes at 3 years old.

“She was fantastic from the start, and had no trouble paying attention. Her teachers noticed she has a great attention span. So this is her fourth year dancing for Christine Jones-Meneer School of Dance.”

This is an exciting time for Amanda, who is cast in the Ballet Theatre of Ohio’s 16th annual production of “The Nutcracker,” which takes place Nov. 29 through Dec. 7 at Akron Civic Theatre.

“Christine Meneer puts this performance on every year and Amanda auditioned last June at the studio,” Orban said. “This is the first time she’s been in it, but she’s seen the show before. In fact, she saw her friends in it last year and it was something she really wanted to do. She’s been working toward this.”

She added, “She has a great attitude and is a hard worker. She’s a perfectionist, even at the age of 7. And she’s a leader. So I think she can handle it.”

Soft-spoken Amanda said she’s confident about her upcoming dual role as a Butterscotch Candy and a Drosselmeyer Helper. “I’ve had many hours of practice, so I’m a good dancer,” Amanda said. “I think I’m the best jumper in my class.”

Asked why people should think about taking in the upcoming production of “The Nutcracker,” Amanda said, “Because Christmas is my favorite holiday, so everybody should come see it.”

The Ballet Theatre of Ohio presents “The Nutcracker” Nov. 29 through Dec. 7 at the Akron Civic Theatre.

Tickets, $18 to $40, are available by calling the Akron Civic Theatre Box Office at 330-253-2488 or Ticketmaster at 330-945-9400.

Benson may be reached at ididhear@aol.com.