Local dancer Anne Kotula performed in four shows of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s (RWB) rendition of The Nutcracker this past holiday season on Dec. 20, 21, 23, and 27. The 15-year-old ballerina, who grew up in St. Andrews and currently resides in Cooks Creek, made her debut on the Centennial Concert Hall stage as Young Clara.
“It truly was an amazing experience,” exclaimed Kotula. “It was such a magical opportunity being able to be on stage with other company members.”
Kendra Woo, one of Kotula’s instructors at RWB, encouraged her to audition for the role of Young Clara in September 2024. Kotula attended a day-long audition where groups of dancers learned and presented select combinations (short routines) from The Nutcracker, choreographed by Stéphane Léonard.
One week later, Kotula received the exciting news that she had been cast as Young Clara for Cast A in The Nutcracker.
“The dancing was my favourite part of this all. It was so inspirational to me being able to rehearse and dance with Royal Winnipeg Ballet company members.”
She dedicated many hours to rehearsing for the role of Young Clara, focusing on learning the choreography, perfecting her technique, and developing her acting skills.
“It was also really neat getting to know the other parts and getting to know the other dancers.”
Kotula fell in love with dancing when she had her first class at four years old with Selkirk’s Evolution Dance Company.
“I just grew up to love it (dance). The movements and what I feel when I dance brings me so much love and joy,” she said.
Now, the rising ballerina attends the RWB Professional Division and takes part in their Ballet Academic Program.
Her ballet (Ms. Joanne) encouraged her to audition for RWB.
“My ballet teacher at Evolution was nudging me to take a go at the opportunity.”
In January 2022, Kotula auditioned and impressed the selection committee. She started in several intermittent programs at RWB before fully joining the RWB Professional Division rehearsals in the fall.
Her typical day is filled with dance lessons. Once she wakes up, she is on the move nonstop before getting ready for bed.
“I get to Royal Winnipeg Ballet around 7:30 (a.m.) every day, and classes start at 8:30. We then dance until noon, where we take a break for lunch. After lunch, we have 2-3 hours of school and dance about 1.5-3 hours before our dinner break. We then might have another dance rehearsal 1-2 hours after our dinner.”
Kotula added that she can head home anywhere after 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., depending on whether there are any upcoming performance rehearsals scheduled. Once she arrives at her house, she normally ends her day by finishing her homework.
Although her time in *The Nutcracker* has ended, she is already in performance mode for RWB’s First Steps showcase from Jan. 23 to 25.
“First Steps is a choreography competition where students choreograph their own pieces and get judged on them,” she explained.
Kotula is working on two pieces of her own and is ready on stand-by as an understudy for an additional dance. Public spectators are invited to attend the First Steps showcase. Tickets can be purchased to see the many show-stopping dancers that the RWB Professional Division produces.
All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and are located at RWB Founder’s Studio, 380 Graham Ave, Winnipeg. The “Pay What You Can” performance tickets can be purchased through RWB’s webpage at www.rwb.org/performance/first-steps.
If you can’t make it to the First Steps showcase, Kotula and her fellow Professional Division Ballet Academic Program dancers will be performing in their annual year-end Spotlight showcase on May 22-24.
Tickets can also be purchased online through www.rwb.org/performance/spotlight.
As for future ambitions of the young dancer, she aspires to become a professional ballerina with the RWB.
“Royal Winnipeg Ballet is a great place to start for anyone wanting to become a dancer,” she said. “If you continue to work and grow, it will all come together. And, as you share your love of dancing, you will be happy getting there because you will be trying your best.”
