When Hayley

Stevenson was 5 years old, she saw a performance of

"The Nutcracker" in Sacramento. After the show,

she turned to her mother and said, "I want to do

that."

It's been

eight years since then and the Stevensons have moved all

the way across the country, but Hayley has been in

several productions of the Nutcracker since that magical

day when she saw her first performance. And starting Dec.

3 she will entertain audiences as Marya in one of the

Atlanta Ballet's casts of "The Nutcracker" at

the Fox Theatre.

Hayley

started dancing, ballet and tap, at the age of 3. Her

studies became more serious at the age of 8, as she took

more classes and focused more on technique. Her family

moved to Peachtree City in 1995.

She began

her career with the Atlanta Ballet and was involved in

their production of "The Nutcracker" from then

on. She has been everything from a party child to a black

lamb. In her third year of doing the production, Hayley

played Nicholas, the bratty little brother of Marya. She

is now Marya, in this her fifth year, and the part is

quite close to home for the ballerina.

"Marya

is between the ages of 14 and 15," explains

Stevenson. "She is torn between wanting to play with

dolls and wanting to meet boys. Marya falls in love

during the party scene and also dreams of becoming a

ballerina when she gets shoes as a gift."

In addition

to her role as Marya, Stevenson will also portray the

pink lamb. She is enjoying the role of Marya, though, as

it stretches her both as a dancer and as a performer.

"There

is a lot of acting involved in the part," said

Stevenson. "There is a lot of improvisation in the

modern classes and we try to interpret what the music is

saying. Each performance is a little different because

the actions get monotonous from doing it so many times in

rehearsals."

She finds a

lot to spice up each performance though, and it is

impossible for her to hide the enthusiasm that she has

for dancing. Hayley takes classes year round with the

Atlanta Ballet and participates in as many productions as

she can. She travels to camps every summer and continues

to work her way up the divisions of the Atlanta Ballet.

She gets assistance and advice from many people within

the company, including Christine Walker, a dancer who was

in that production of "The Nutcracker" in

Sacramento that inspired Stevenson. They shared the stage

in Atlanta Ballet's production of "Peter Pan,"

as Darling siblings Wendy and Michael.

"Everybody

is great," said Stevenson. "Christine, Rose

Myles, John McFall... they are all very helpful and the

whole group is so tight-knit. We can just talk about

anything." Stevenson also gets help and advice from

her family. Both her mother and her sister, Hannah, dance

and they assist each other with flexibility and strength

exercises, as well as moves. Also, her mother drives,

which neither Stevenson daughter can do quite yet.

"My

family is awesome," Stevenson said. "They know

the schedules of both my sister and me, pack our

homework, bring dinner when we rehearse late. They are

just very supportive."

Stevenson's

love of ballet is enormous. Not only does it encourage

her creativity, health and athleticism, but it encourages

other good habits and makes her seem very mature for her

age. "Ballet keeps me focused. You follow a strict

curriculum and care about what you do. You have to get

good grades and stay out of trouble, if you want to

continue." So far, Stevenson is passing those tests.

She is a student at St. Paul Lutheran School and has

found that many people at school are interested and

encouraging of her pursuits.

Stevenson

won't be on stage every night as Marya. The Atlanta

Ballet realizes the stress that nightly performances for

a month would incur on adolescents.

They also

want to give as many children as possible the experience

of being on stage in a large production.

"The

Nutcracker" begins at the Fox Theatre Dec. 3 and

runs through Dec. 31. As for Hayley, she will enjoy her

time as Marya and looks forward to some upcoming

productions and opportunities.

And perhaps

there will be a little girl in the audience this year

that sees Marya receive her shoes and fall in love, and

she will turn to her mother and say, "I want to do

that."

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