Zengning Guo, also known as YoYo, has been selected for a small walk-on role in the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Regent Theatre.
YoYo, 10, will play the Changeling.
The year 5 St Clair School pupil appeared in last year’s production of Hansel and Gretel and said she practises most days.
‘‘I've been doing ballet since I was 6. I enjoy it because you learn new moves every year,’’ she said.
She said she was ‘‘a bit nervous’’ about tomorrow’s performance, but also excited.
Royal New Zealand Ballet rehearsal director Laura Schultz said the company continued a long tradition, spanning decades, of picking young locals for performances in major productions.
For many of them, it was their first appearance on stage, and several subsequently have become part of the Royal New Zealand Ballet company.
‘‘I think it’s really great to see the joy on their faces when they're on stage.
‘‘They get to interact with the company dancers. They get to meet the stage crew and all that stuff that goes behind the scenes that you don't see from the front.’’
YoYo made a ‘‘great impression’’ last year, so the Royal New Zealand Ballet company did not hesitate to pick her for this year’s show, Ms Schultz said.
‘‘Every once in a while there will be some basic ballet steps that they'll need to do, but a lot of it is just the confidence and then actually showing their joy and the love of dance.
‘‘For instance, this year for the Changeling, there's no dance steps involved. It's just mostly confidence and a presence on stage.’’
The company was very excited to put A Midsummer Night’s Dream on stage, she said.
‘‘It's got comedy and it's got many love stories, which end up in comedy.
‘‘It’s also got a fantastic score based on the work of Felix Mendelssohn. It’s the whole package, really.’’
