Fairy Tale Comes True for Naperville Dancers

A fate worthy of a fairy tale awaited two teenage dancers after a lengthy audition in late February: feature leading roles in Plainfield Dance Academy’s spring production of “The Sleeping Beauty.” After the leotards and leg warmers were carefully placed into dance bags, 16-year old Naperville dancers Rachel Kelly and Jubilation Wang were selected to perform the all-important lead roles of Princess Aurora and the Lilac Fairy.

The dancers, students at Plainfield Dance Academy, take to the stage Sunday, May 20, 2018, at 3 p.m. at Plainfield North High School Auditorium, 12005 S 248th Ave., Plainfield, IL. Tickets for the Plainfield performance are available online at www.tututix.com and are $20 for children and seniors, $25 adults, and $30 the day of performance.

Rachel Kelly began dancing at age four and soon developed a love for ballet. While studying at the Von Heidecke Dance Center, she performed in such dance classics as "Cinderella," "Giselle," "Coppelia," and "The Nutcracker" and went on tour with the Chicago Festival of Ballet. Kelly started dancing with the Plainfield Dance Academy in 2013 and has continued to perform in such productions as "Swan Lake" and "La Fille mal gardee." She is a stellar student attending Waubonsie Valley High School, maintaining a 4.0 GPA and will be attending the highly esteemed HARID Conservatory's 2018 summer intensive in a few months and has competed in numerous dance competitions regionally and nationally.

Jubilee Wang began dancing in Taiwan when she was three years old before coming to the United States at age 12 to learn classical ballet. Since her arrival, she has been competitive in dance competitions and received the Carey Rose Winski Memorial Foundation dance scholarship in 2015 and a scholarship to attend the Bolshoi Ballet Summer Intensive in New York City in 2017 and 2018. She has been awarded the President's Education Award for academic excellence in 2015 and 2016. A student at Naperville North High School, she scored a near perfect score on her PACT Reading and an English score above the 90th percentile. Bilingual in both English and Mandarin Chinese, Jubilee is active at Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church and volunteers as a team leader during summer vacation bible school camps.

Plainfield Dance Academy’s presentation of “The Sleeping Beauty” features a lavish set and costumes, a company of 50 dancers including students, ages 8-18, and professional dancers of international renown such as Arionel Vargas with choreography by Altin Naska and Olena Nalyvaiko after Marius Petipa. Music for “The Sleeping Beauty” was composed by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.

“The visual images of movement, the sumptuous music and the story works together to create a powerful and emotional experience,” said Altin Naska, artistic director of Plainfield Dance Academy. “This is an ageless story for all ages to enjoy!”

About Plainfield Dance Academy

The Plainfield Dance Academy’s mission is to provide dancers with a comprehensive artistic education that fosters excellence in all forms of dance and enhances a passion for the arts. A further goal is to instill in dancers a desire to care for the environment and enthusiasm for having a positive influence within their community. Staffed by a team of passionate and experienced instructors, Plainfield Dance Academy provides classes for all ages that range from classical ballet to modern and hip hop, ensuring everyone can find a style that is best suited for their temperament, interests, and unique style.

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