Mia Kellman
By Mack Guthrie
Mia Kellman has come a long way since she started taking ballet classes at the age of three.
“I was really clumsy, and I would fall all time,” she said, explaining why her parents signed her up for ballet.
They didn’t know they would spark a lifelong passion. Now a senior at New Trier High School, Kellman also is a student at the prestigious Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago.
When she was 10, Kellman started taking ballet more seriously, thinking of it as more of a career than a hobby. She started with the Joffrey the summer between sixth and seventh grades and has been dancing there ever since.
Associated with the Joffrey Ballet Company, the academy is considered the most prestigious dance school in Chicago, and it is well known nationally and internationally.
While most high school seniors are completing essay after essay for college admissions, Kellman is working tirelessly to audition for traineeships.
Lasting typically one to two years, traineeships are similar to apprenticeships in that they prepare students for the trade of dance.
They are completed with a dance company, and students who complete the traineeship are typically hired into the main company.
Kellman explained that while she has considered dancing in college or attending conservatory, her plans for the future are “still in the works.”
Kellman leaves New Trier after 8th period, giving her time to get to the city for ballet class, which starts at 5 p.m. She makes the trip downtown, which includes a 35-minute train ride and a 15-minute walk, everyday, except Sundays, when dancers have the day off.
Practice runs until 8:30 p.m. Kellman typically arrives home at 9:15 pm, when she eats dinner and completes her homework.
Despite the busy lifestyle, which includes over 20 hours of ballet a week, Kellman is happy pursuing her passion, and explained that the relationships she has formed with her fellow dancers make her excited to go to practice everyday.
“We’ve been dancing together since we were 9 or 10,” said Kellman. “We are a close group of friends.” She explained that though some have left Joffrey, they still get together.
Sophomore Sophie Elliott, who dances with Kellman at Joffrey, agreed that it is a close group, and she said training with Kellman “has been inspiring.”
She explained that Kellman’s dedication both in and out class is admirable. “She’s always working and doing homework on the train,” said Elliott, adding that Kellman balances her homework load and still manages to be “one of the best dancers in our level.”
Kellman said her favorite thing about ballet is performing. She explained that while the daily classes could become boring with the endless drills and exercises, the nervous thrill of a performance never fails to excite her.
Though she admits it may be a cliche, she said her favorite performance is The Nutcracker. She enjoys the cheeriness of the music and said “it reminds me of Christmas.”
This article was written by Mack Guthrie, a junior at New Trier High School. It was first published in the New Trier News newspaper.