Amidst the falling snow and misty fog, the very much alive snowflakes leap and perform a pirouette, taking care to point their toes, plié, and turn outwards.

In Ballet San Jose’s company production of The Nutcracker this past December, Sarah Howells (11) and Angela Ma (9) played snowflakes, one of several roles in their careers as ballet dancers.

Every week, Sarah and Angela dedicate 12 hours to lessons at Ballet San Jose School in order to master the technical precision of ballet, in addition to participating in company production rehearsals, such as The Nutcracker.

“I used to think of ballet as a fun [activity] I’d just do every week, but now it’s a whole part of my life – it’s become increasingly important to me as time has passed,” Sarah said.

Sarah’s ballet journey began at age three, while Angela started ballet at four.

As a child, Angela hated ballet lessons due to the repetition; however, after realizing her progress and the attention she received from her instructor, Angela aspired to emulate her role models.

“A couple of years ago, the [ballet] school had the production Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and I actually got the part of the child Snow White. I think that was part of the turning point because that just inspired me,” Angela said.

Extending her passion for ballet to dance at school, Sarah is a part of the Conservatory Certificate program and helped Laura Rae, Director of the Upper School dance program, choreograph a ballet piece for the JV Dance Troupe in this year’s Dance Show.

Last year’s The Nutcracker marked the first time Angela had ever performed in a company production.

“[The snowflake variation] was really tiring because the dance had a lot of jumps, but it gave a really good sense of what it’s like to perform on stage as a paid company dancer,” Angela said.

Shreya Indukuri (11), one of Sarah’s friends who attended the show to support her, said she was proud of Sarah’s commitment and performance.

“Sarah was so elegant and incredible as a dancer,” Shreya said. “I knew she missed a lot of class to rehearse for the ballet, and her hard work definitely paid off!”

For Sarah’s mother, Paulina Wegrowicz, watching Sarah perform is an exciting experience, although she can never remain at ease until Sarah appears on stage, free of injuries and other mishaps.

“I feel very happy while watching Sarah dance, and I always hope she will be happy with her own performance,” Wegrowicz said.

Having worked with Angela since 2005, Ballet San Jose School instructor Dalia Rawson has seen Angela grow as a ballet dancer.

“[Angela] has a beautiful, natural way of moving and presenting herself that is almost impossible to teach, and [that aspect] can be what sets an artist apart from a technician,” Rawson said.

On Sunday, January 23, Angela participated in the first annual Silicon Valley International Dance Competition and reached the semifinals.

“If you win or lose, it doesn’t really matter because every single time you enter in a competition like [the Silicon Valley one], you learn an awful lot, and it’s really that part that’s most important,” she said.

Angela’s mother, Tian Zhang, said that she and her husband enjoy watching Angela dance during practices and performances.

“Over the years, by watching [Angela] dance, our family has learned to enjoy both the technical and artistic views of classical ballet,” she said.

From ballet, Angela has learned to become a little harder working, responsible, and careful; both Sarah and she appreciate the close-knit ties among the girls at the ballet company.

Sarah is currently learning the part of the swans for the upcoming Ballet San Jose company production Swan Lake, and Angela looks forward to the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) competition, both in February.

In the future, both Sarah and Angela plan to focus on academics in college, although ballet will always remain an important part of their lives.