Seymour’s Ballet Enthusiast: Middle School Student to Appear in Professional Ballet

Amanda Fintak warms up for a ballet dance. (The Herald/Submitted Photo)

While Seymour may not be the ballet capital of America, one young resident has taken her passion for the dance to the next level.Amanda Fintak, an 11-year-old sixth grade student at Seymour Middle School, has been involved with ballet since she was three.

“I didn’t have a hobby and my brothers all played baseball,” she recalls of her early interest in ballet. “I wanted to try dancing.”

Since then Fintak has be involved in a number of ballet performances, including the 2011 Appalachian Ballet Company’s production of “The Nutcracker.” This year she will also take part as one of nearly 90 dancers in a production of the same title for a total of six performances.

Four of the performances will be at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and two will be held at the Maryville-Clayton Center for the Arts.