First Grader Lillie-Jade Claire Williams Performed in Ballet Arkansas’ Nutcracker Spectacular
Lillie-Jade Claire Williams, a first grader at the NLR campus, performed in the 2022 Ballet Arkansas Nutcracker Spectacular at Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock in December.
She was a mouse in the battle scene during Act 1 for her inaugural appearance in the annual sold-out performances.
Every August, Ballet Arkansas hosts auditions for the Nutcracker. This is the largest and longest-running holiday performance in Arkansas, featuring live music by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and a cast and crew of nearly 400. Hundreds audition for roles, but few are awarded the opportunity to be cast into production. Lillie-Jade’s hard work and dedication to growing her skills at MKDS carried her through the Ballet Arkansas auditions with poise and confidence. Nutcracker practices were conducted every other weekend from September to December and productions ran December 8th-11th.
Lillie-Jade was excited to share the stage with her B-Bop (Danny Wood) who is cast as the Butler in the Act 1 party scene. He has passed his love of dance down through his daughter Jourdan and now into his granddaughter Lillie-Jade.
Lillie-Jade follows in her mother’s (Jourdan Williams) footsteps by beginning her dance career at an early age. Lillie-Jade has been training at Ms. Karen’s Dance Studio in North Little Rock, under the direction of Rhonda Sylvester and Tara Beebe, since she was 15 months old.
She hit the big stage at the age of 24 months in her first ever recital, with her mom close by, in their Mommy and Me class. She then took the stage on her own as a 3-year-old, and God has shown off on blessing her talents through her dance techniques.
Lillie-Jade is a member of the MKDS Company and competes both locally and nationally, and she loves every minute of her dedication to the arts. She along with her team often rank in the top of the categories at competitions.
Lillie-Jade plans to return for the 2023 Nutcracker productions and would love to see you in the audience or at intermission! Learn more about The Nutcracker Spectacular here.
