Local dancer gets role as Clara in Christmas Spectacular Tour

BRANCHVILLE — Jessica Snider, 11, recently landed the role as Clara for the upcoming tour in the famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular national tour.

Snider has been dancing for nine years and has been training in the styles of ballet, pointe, modern, jazz and lyrical. She has trained at the Branchville Dance Centre and was accepted into the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet for its recent summer intensive.

Snider said that there were about 400 girls that auditioned for the role of Clara. The audition was done en pointe and consisted of three rounds of combinations.

Each round got harder as they went along. Snider was notified over the phone a few weeks after the auditions that she got the part. “Being a part of this show is going to be amazing, especially to be in the same show as the Rockettes,” said Jessica.

This is Jessica’s first major role outside of her dance studio where she danced the role of Clara for last winter’s Christmas show.

Snider attends Frankford Township School and will be a sixth grade student come September. However, she will be rehearsing in South Carolina all through October followed by a tour through cities in Florida and Georgia.

The shows start on Nov. 1 and conclude on Dec. 29. The show provides a tutor for Snider while she is on tour.

For this tour, two Claras were cast. This means that even when Snider is not in the show, she will be working as the understudy backstage, ready to go on, in case something happens to her fellow performer.

Jessica’s mother, Sarah Snider, will be going on tour with her. “It’s really exciting to be able to give her this opportunity. I took her to the audition so that she could have a New York City experience of the whole process. I’m very proud of her,” said Sarah. Sarah, her husband and other daughter will be spending Christmas together in Florida this year to see Jessica perform.

Jessica’s great grandparents live in Florida, so they will be able to see her perform for the first time, Sarah added.

Tickets for this national tour can be found online at www.radiocity.com.