Howard Julia

Seaway News
November 24, 2011

Have you ever wished that you could be a part of a large professional production?
Well that dream came true for 15 year-old Julia Howard who successfully auditioned
for Les Grand Ballets Canadiens' annual production of The Nutcracker in Montreal
next month.

Julia has been a student at the Cornwall School of Dance for the last 10 years and it
was her ballet teacher, Jane Macmillan, who encouraged her and others to try out for the
auditions.

Julia said she decided to go in order to gain more experience and then was pleasantly surprised to land the role of one of the rats in the production. "I have always liked the discipline of ballet," Julia explains. "And now at St. Lawrence Secondary School I am enjoying other forms of dance, such as contemporary and hip hop in their dance program there." .

Julia says that her mother has always encouraged her to dance and that her stepfather has been truly amazing, driving her to all the rehearsals in Montreal. Traveling to Montreal twice a week for rehearsals has been a wonderful experience for Julia, who really likes the city and she has found that her French has also really improved because most of the other dancers are from Quebec. Julia's first performance will be at the Place des Arts in Montreal on December 11, 20 II.