Everett girl dreams of a career in dance, and ‘Nutcracker’ brings her one step closer

Published 3:11 pm Thursday, December 3, 2009

Here’s how much Catherine Lawton loves to dance.

She chose to be home-schooled this year to better work her education around her dancing.

Her bedroom contains a bed, a mirror, a ballet bar and nothing else, leaving lots of room for practice.

When she sleeps, she dreams choreography.

Catherine, 12, of Everett, is committed to her craft. And should her commitment lead to a career in dance, Pacific Northwest Ballet would be her first choice.

She already has a foot in the door.

This Christmas season, Catherine is one of the select few young dancers who earned a coveted spot in PNB’s acclaimed “Nutcracker.” She will take the stage with PNB’s entire company of professional dancers, 37 professional division students and more than 200 students from the ballet school, in roles that range from baby mice to toy soldiers to young Clara.

Catherine is dancing as one of the production’s Cavalry, a part that requires her to wear an entire horse costume around her midsection. The costume weighs about 20 pounds and exposes her upper body so that she appears to be riding the horse.

In two previous “Nutcracker” performances, Catherine has danced as one of the Tall Servants, but she has longed for the Cavalry role in the show’s battle scene between the Prince and the Mouse King.

“I wanted this part. I’ve never been in the first act, and I’ve always liked the fight scene,” Catherine said. “I learned I got the part 10 days after the audition, and I was very excited.”

Catherine’s time at PNB began nine years ago, shortly after she saw her first “Nutcracker.”

Catherine started with PNB’s creative movement program at age 3. Today, she helps other young dancers in that program.

She said she earned her current Cavalry part due to a combination of looks, size and good musicality.

“Musicality to me is being able to count the right beats and counting all sorts of music,” Catherine said. “And if I lose my place, I’m able to start over without stopping the music.”

Catherine may live to dance, but she’s certainly not one-dimensional.

Technically, she is an eighth-grader and is home-schooled through the online iQ Academy. She attends Olympic View Middle School for orchestra, where she is first chair in the viola section. In spring and summer, she also plays Gaelic football, which resembles a mix of soccer and rugby, with the Seattle Gaels Football and Hurling Club.

Catherine’s mother, Anna Lawton, said her daughter tried soccer and swimming, but gave those up for dance.

“When we took her to the ‘Nutcracker,’ she said she wanted to be on the big stage like the other dancers, and we couldn’t keep her in her seat,” Lawton said.

“She once talked about being a marine biologist but not anymore. She wants to dance. She’s always dreaming of choreography and she sees dance in her head.”

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.

“Nutcracker”

Pacific Northwest Ballet performs “Nutcracker” at various times through Dec. 30 at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St., Seattle. Tickets start at $26. Call 206-441-2424 or go to www.pnb.org.