A Warren County dancer will take her talents from the stage to the small screen, appearing on PBS as part of the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition. Karlee Donley, 16, of rural Warren County, recently …
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Ballerina puts passion on display
Posted
By Cindy Gladden,
Record Staff Writer
A Warren County dancer will take her talents from the stage to the small screen, appearing on PBS as part of the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition.Karlee Donley, 16, of rural Warren County, recently competed in the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition at the Fabulous Fox, which will air on PBS June 20 and June 26.Donley’s five-member team of up-and-coming ballet dancers finished in the top 12 of more than 195 performers, representing 75 bistate high schools and 13 home schools.Donley, the daughter of Terry and Kara Donley, first graced the dance floor at the age of 3, learning her first moves at Dance Variations in Warrenton. She is a junior at Warrenton High School, but spends much of her young life up on her toes.“My passion is ballet,” said Donley. “When I was 12, I realized I wanted to concentrate on technique, not competitions. My main thing is ballet.”Donley credits her success to the experience she has gained at Dance Variations, the Missouri Ballet Theatre, the Krupinski Academy and currently at the St. Louis Ballet School.“Ballet is specific,” she said. “You can express yourself so much. The goal is to make it look easy. It’s just a beautiful art form.“Tutus are my favorite,” she added. “I love wearing them.”Kara Donley said much of her life as Karlee’s mom is taken up by driving her daughter to dance school five days a week. Although Karlee recently obtained her driver’s license, her mom’s car is one of the best places to complete homework, nap, don her leotard and put her hair in the classic tight bun of a ballet dancer with Mom at the wheel.“She’s the hardest worker I know,” Kara Donley said. “It’s worth it.”One down side of Donley’s training is missing time with her friends. She wears a T-shirt that reads I can’t. I dance. Although she can’t always participate in activities with her friends from school, she believes it is worth the time she spends learning the intricate moves of a true ballerina.When Donley applied to the St. Louis Ballet School a year ago, she took a placement class for admission. Of eight levels, she was classified as a level seven. For the Fox talent show, her school allowed 10 students the opportunity to compete. Donley and four other dancers formed a team.Nicknamed “Little Fugue” because of the performance piece written by Johann Sebastian Bach, the team of new friends performed flawlessly.For the second year, Donley has earned a five-week summer dance scholarship. This year the dance camp will take place in Charlotte, N.C., where she will work eight hours a day for six days a week.Kara Donley said the cost of costumes, ballet shoes, gas and wear and tear on her car can get expensive, but she wholeheartedly supports her daughter.“I have to kill a lot of time. A lot of time,” she said.Karlee thanks her parents for the support they have given her over her years of training.“I’m a very determined person,” she said. “This is the thing I love to do. And I’m a perfectionist. That’s a good thing.”Donley manages to maintain her grades while she follows her dream and has plans for the future. She also realizes that dancers tend to have a short career because of the grueling training constantly challenging the human body. Her backup plan is to prepare for a job in the medical field.“I hope to go to college, major in dance and become a trainee with any dance company that will take me. Hopefully, one day, I can become a professional dancer.”Those looking to see Donley can watch the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition, which airs Monday, June 20, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 26, on Channel 9 PBS.
Karlee Donley has her eyes on a career as a ballerina. She and four other girls from the Missouri Ballet Theatre recently danced to “Little Fugue,” by Johann Sebastian Bach at the Fabulous Fox. Cindy Gladden Photo.
