HAVERHILL — Jessica Flynn is only 11 years old, but she's already literally dancing her way to success.
She recently won the coveted role of Clara in "The Nutcracker," which will be produced by the Albany Berkshire Ballet at the Collins Center for the Performing Arts in Andover on Dec. 5.
Dancing is Jessica's passion and she's been working very hard at it for most of her life.
"I started when I was 21âÑ2," the Consentino Middle School sixth-grader said. She dances at the North Reading School of Ballet 81âÑ2 hours per week. Here's her schedule:
Tuesday — 4 to 6 p.m.
Wednesday — 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday — 4 to 8 p.m.
Friday — 5 to 6:30 p.m.
While ballet is her main area of focus, her weekly regimen also includes classes in tap, jazz and modern dancing. Despite all that time and energy she puts into dancing, Jessica still manages to get mostly A's.
"I'm looking forward to getting my report card," she told The Eagle-Tribune during an interview on Monday, her "day off."
Jessica said she enjoys "the gracefulness" of dancing.
"I love seeing the professional dancers on the stage," she said. One of the most difficult moves in ballet, she said, is making a fouetté turn, a whipping movement of one leg while turning on the other.
The dancer she most admires, Jillian Gentile, a North Reading High School senior who also dances at North Reading School of Ballet, has been known to do eight fouetté turns at a time, she said.
"She's always wanted to be Clara," her dad James Flynn, said. The part calls for two hours of dancing and acting. Her father said she probably succeeded in getting the part because Jessica can act as well as dance.
In a nutshell — no pun intended, of course — Clara meets the Nutcracker, who becomes a living person. They are then attacked by an army of mice.
Jessica said her favorite part is when she hits the King Mouse with her ballet shoe. "The Nutcracker" storyline, of course, is a dream. As for this Clara's dream, Jessica hopes to eventually dance with the Boston Ballet. She has others, too.
"I really want to be a Rockette," she said. "I want my parents to watch the Rockettes some day and be able to say, 'there's our daughter.'"
She also wants to have a dancing career that takes her around the world.
James Flynn has a theory about how his daughter became so passionate about dancing. Shortly before she was born, he and his wife, Rose Flynn, attended "Stomp," a high-energy play.
Jessica will dance in the 7 p.m. show at the Collins Center. Danielle Tse, daughter of Lauren and Barry Tse of Winchester, and a student at the Karen Bernard School of Dance, will play Clara in the 3 p.m. show.
James' passion is graphic designing, He works at the family's home on Pilgrim Road. Her mother Rose Flynn has worked for nonprofits and will soon resume her career as a nanny, taking care of a newborn boy who lives across the street from them.
Their other daughter, Rachael, 14, a freshman at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, started taking dancing lessons but has since moved on to rock climbing.
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