January is a cold, dark month here in Maine, but Maine State Ballet is turning up the heat to help melt those post-holiday blues.  Tap, Tap, Jazz is a night of sizzle and showmanship designed to show off some of the most talented young dancers in the State.

        One of the featured performers is 17 year old Janet Ottman, a senior at Kennebunk High School and member of the Maine State Ballet Company.  Ottman will be dancing in several numbers during the evening, including two she choreographed herself.  “Ease on Down the Road,” from The Wiz, is a piece she chose because it is light, upbeat, and fun.  “Fake Your Way to the Top,” is Ottman’s solo in the show.

         Ottman has been dancing for fifteen years.  When she was younger, and quite a bit smaller, she was featured as the little Porcelain Doll in the The Nutcracker.  Since then, she has danced many parts in many ballets, and she has loved every one.  One of her personal favorites is Chocolate from Spain, from The Nutcracker, which she finally got to dance last fall after years of dreaming and hoping. 

         Last summer, Maine State Ballet’s Artistic Director Linda MacArthur Miele cast Ottman in the George Balanchine classic Serenade. “I never dreamed something like that was possible, and I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to grow as a dancer here at Maine State Ballet,” says Ottman.

         Choreographing for Tap, Tap, Jazz was another opportunity Ottman just couldn’t pass up.  She choreographed her first number when she was 13, and she hasn’t looked back.  She likes the feeling she gets when the last step of a dance has been taught, the dancers put it all together, and she can look at the whole piece and say, “Wow, I did that!”

         Janet Ottman is now sharing her passion for dance with a new generation of dancers at Maine State Ballet’s School for the Performing Arts.  She teaches a weekly tap/jazz combination class for second graders.  Teaching younger dancers is different than choreographing a dance for her peers, but Ottman enjoys their energy and enthusiasm.

         Next fall, Ottman will be attending Elon University in North Carolina, where she plans to major in marketing.  Of course, she wouldn’t be going there if she couldn’t also minor in dance.  “I’m looking forward to studying different forms of tap, so that I can build on the solid foundation I have from my years at Maine State Ballet.”

Tap, Tap, Jazz will be performed on Friday, January 22 at 7pm, and Saturday, January 23 at 4pm and 7pm at the Maine State Ballet Theater in Falmouth.  Tickets are $12, and reservations are recommended.  For more information, call Maine State Ballet at 781-7672.