"When we went to the audition it was kind of intimidating, but they were really nice," Victoria Avery (13), said.
"We were told to do basic things — it wasn’t like a full-on dance rehearsal, although there were certain steps they wanted to see."
"We get lots to do," Lucy Woodhouse (14) said.
"It’s a great experience, and we can say ‘I danced with the Royal New Zealand Ballet’."
The dancers who successfully auditioned for the show have been preparing in their respective studios — Lucy is a pupil at Bennett School of Ballet and Jazz while Harry Easton (13) and Victoria are at the Dunedin School of Ballet and Dance.
However, the narrow confines of those rooms can only offer so much space compared to the vast Regent theatre stage they will strut this weekend.
"We rehearsed yesterday and today and tomorrow we have a technical rehearsal when we get to go on the stage in costume," Harry said.
"Getting on to the big stage is like ‘boom’ — when we get told to run from one place to another in the Bennett room, at the Regent it really means run."
Their roles were very demanding — "two and a-half minutes of hard-out dancing" — but the threesome was relishing the chance to shine.
"Getting to dance with the company is really rewarding," Lucy said.
"You sit in the audience and watch them and think ‘wow, I want to do that’ but to now actually be doing that with them is just incredible ... it’s a real pinch me moment and you want it to last forever."
The RNZB performs The Nutcracker twice in Dunedin: tonight and a matinee performance on Sunday.
Live music will be performed by the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hamish McKeich.
