Several students from Leelanau County will perform in the Dance Center Youth Ensemble's production of A Christmas Carol on Nov. 10 and 11 at Milliken Auditorium in Traverse City.

Sara McNew Grace Springsteen Ashley Baumann

Matinee concerts will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with evening concerts at 7 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday.

Sara McNew, a senior at Glen Lake High School and a member of the National Honor Society, will dance the lead role of “Spirit of the Past” in the production. McNew has been dancing for 13 years and has danced lead roles in Nutcracker and Cinderella.

Lily Springsteen, also a Glen Lake senior, will dance the lead role of “Snow Queen.” She recently returned to the area after spending a year as a Rotary exchange student in Turkey. Her sister, Grace Springsteen, a ninth grader at Glen Lake, will dance the lead role of “Belle.” She has also performed as “Clara” in The Nutcracker, Cinderella and A Christmas Carol with the Dance Center ensemble and has attended Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp with a scholarship from the Glen Lake Women’s Club. She has studied dance at The Dance Center for 11 years.

Ashley Baumann, a Cedar resident and 11th grader at Traverse City West, will also perform. She has been dancing for 12 years and has performed in Nutcracker, Cinderella, A Christmas Carol and numerous annual concerts. She has earned the Dance Center Bravo Award, Great Lakes Scholar award, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Scholarship, and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Tayler Galla, a seventh grader at Glen Lake, will also perform in the ballet. She has studied dance at The Dance Center for eight years and is also a member of the DC Dance Team.

There will also be a male contribution to the production from Leelanau County. Mitchell Drilling, a county resident and seventh grade student at Grand Traverse Academy, has been dancing for seven years. He has performed in Nutcracker, Cinderella and A Christmas Carol as well as the Dance Center Musical, Treasure Island. Mitchell will dance as escort to “Spirit of the Present” and in the winter scene.

J.D. Willey, a first grader at Glen Lake, has been dancing for five years and has performed in the Dance Center’s annual concert and in A Christmas Carol. He will dance the part of “boy Scrooge” and an orphan in the village scene.

Dance Center director and choreographer Korin Drilling is also a Leelanau County resident. She has been teaching and choreographing for 25 years, and is directing the production of A Christmas Carol.

Ticket information is available by calling 995-1553 or online at www.dennosmuseum.org.