On her toes

Young Chang

Emily Yamashita will celebrate her first year of dancing en pointe

next week.

In the last 12 months, she has worn out 14 pairs of pointe shoes

because they break in too well and become more detrimental than helpful.

For her performance in American Ballet Theatre’s “Le Corsaire” at the

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion next week, Emily will need a new pair.

But the shoes are a small price to pay for the prestige the Newport

Coast girl is about to know.

As a child performer in “Corsaire,” the 12-year-old will get to dance

with some of the stars of ballet, including Julie Kent, Paloma Herrera,

Marcelo Gomes, Julio Bocca, Nina Ananiashvili and others. And she will

dance en pointe -- on the tips of her toes.

“Hardly any ballet requires young students on pointe,” said Salwa

Rizkalla, Emily’s instructor at the Southland Ballet Academy in Fountain

Valley.

About 10 other child dancers from Rizkalla’s dance company made it

into the production in Los Angeles. Shows will run Thursday through July

14, and different principal dancers will take the lead on varying nights.

Based on a Lord Byron poem, the action-packed “Le Corsaire” involves

everything from cliffhanging to sleeping potions, as well as a shipwreck

to tell the story of a pirate and a maiden slave and how their love

prevails.

Emily plays a “jardin girl,” literally a “garden girl,” which she

compares to a courtier.

The young performer was nervous during auditions in April because it

was said that all dancers had to have danced en pointe for at least a

year. At the time, she had only reached her eight-month mark. But through

a series of five cuts, Emily’s number kept getting called.

“Each time, she was so nervous,” mother Lisa Yamashita said. “And I

think it’s more nerve-racking for the parent sometimes.”

Emily made it into the final cast and has been practicing with

Rizkalla and ABT ballet mistresses since. Her grandparents will fly over

from Japan next week to watch the show.

“It’s very hard. It’s a lot of hard work, and it takes a lot of time

to learn and you have to have a lot of energy,” said the young dancer, of

being a ballerina at her age.

Lisa Yamashita drives Emily from Newport Coast every day to rehearse

at Rizkalla’s academy, which is a half-hour away. With her rigorous dance

schedule, it’s hard for Emily to hang out with peers and do non-dance

stuff like watch movies.

“But I like it because it’s an art and it’s very graceful and nice to

watch,” said Emily, who started dancing seven years ago in her late

grandfather’s room to the “Lion King” soundtrack.

Her dancing perks include having Kent autograph her pointe shoes,

which happened in April when the ABT principal guest-performed for

Rizkalla’s production of “Swan Lake” at Orange Coast College. New York

City Ballet’s Damian Woetzel joined Kent, as did Emily.

“She wants the girls to experience with the top people,” said Emily’s

mother.

Susan Jones, a ballet mistress who auditions and teaches children in

ABT productions, said the show will be a chance for Emily and other

children to be in “real contact” with their field’s finest.

“To see the best and to be right there,” said Jones, also a former

dancer with ABT. “For some of them who may be dancing now but won’t dance

in the future, it’s something they’re going to remember for the rest of

their lives.”

FYI

WHAT: “Le Corsaire”

WHEN: Thursday through July 14. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday and

Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles

COST: $20-$90

CALL: (213) 972-0711