When the Historic Holmes Theatre debuts the original theatrical work, "Unveiling Nimuué," this Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m., it will be Detroit Lakes' own Marisa Pace stepping into the title role in the Fargo-Moorhead Ballet's performance of "Essence of Nimuué," which opens the show.
At just 15 years of age, Pace will be taking the lead in a ballet performance for the first time. So is she nervous? Not so much.
"I think a few nerves are only natural, but mostly I'm just really excited," says Pace, who is eager to perform the role of Nimuué in front of an audience that will include a large contingent of her nearest and dearest friends and family.
"I think there will be a fairly large group there to see me," she says. "They really haven't had a chance to see me dance a ton since I've been back."
Pace is referring to the fact that she spent a year living with a host family in Scottsdale, Arizona, while she honed her craft at the Master Ballet Academy.
She finished her year of ballet-intensive study in Scottsdale back in July 2016, and has since been spending her afternoons and evenings training with Matt Gasper at Gasper's School of Dance in Fargo, while taking online courses every morning with the Fergus Falls-based iQ Academy to complete her high school education.
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"I've been dancing for nine years, but I've only taken it seriously for the last three," says Pace. "I used to just dance for fun, but as I got older I realized that this is what I really love to do, and I want to continue doing it for as long as I can."
Pace added that she hopes to become a full-time, professional dancer someday. But for now, she is still dividing her time between schoolwork and dancing.
"I've been making dance my main focus," Pace added. "I get up early every morning to get my school work done on time, then I start training with Gasper's School of Dance and the FM Ballet at 1 p.m., and go until about 8:30 p.m."
In addition to running his own dance school, Matt Gasper is also the artistic director of the FM Ballet, which is how Pace began working with them as well.
"The FM Ballet is a professional dance company, and we have a core group of dancers in that company," Gasper explained. "It's my job to figure out which dancers fit well together, who fits certain roles, and who will make the ballet as a whole come to life."
He says he chose Pace to portray the role of Nimuué for "a couple of reasons."
For one, Gasper noted, the role of Nimuué is described as being "a young teenager."
For another, he added, "What intrigued me about her (Pace) was her physical ability to dance the role. She has really lovely lines and extensions that help create the mood and emotions of the character."
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That becomes particularly important for the ballet portion of Thursday night's program, he added, because "there are no words. The characters (in the ballet) don't talk. She (Pace) has brought a wonderful artistry to the role. That's why I gave her this opportunity."
Gasper is also the choreographer behind the creation of "Essence of Nimuué," a ballet that includes an original piano composition by another local resident, Phletus Williams - who is serving as one of the show's producers, along with his wife, Sally.
"The piece we're performing on Thursday is one that I'm hoping to develop as part of a bigger, full-length ballet later on," Gasper revealed. "It's just one chapter, one scene of a larger production involving Nimuué and her journey."
Gasper said that extensive archaeological evidence and research have revealed Nimuué was a young girl who journeyed alone, quite far from her home, before arriving in the Pelican Rapids area - where she would eventually die as the result of drowning in a glacial lake that once covered a large portion of the region. Her remains would be discovered some 20,000 years later, when highway workers were excavating the region in preparation for a large road construction project.
"I would love to get the full ballet done in about a year," Gasper said, noting that it will most likely take at least that long, "because you've got to find the right music, the right costuming, the right dancers. It's an original work, with my own choreography... it's not like 'Swan Lake' or one of those other classic ballets, where the choreography is already pretty much done. This is a brand new work, and that takes more time to develop."
Thursday night's show, of which "Essence of Nimuué" is just one part, is a completely original work, Gasper noted. The second half of the show will consist of a theatrical play that depicts how Nimuué, also known as the Minnesota Glacial Woman, was first discovered while Minnesota Department of Transportation workers were excavating dirt for the construction of Highway 59, back in 1931.
According to Phletus Williams, the majority of those highway workers were from Detroit Lakes - which is one reason why they decided to debut the play here when it was first being developed. The script was completed by Detroit Lakes' own Doug Schultz - with assistance from Tribune opinion columnist Lynn Hummel - and Schultz also serves as its director and portrays one of the main characters, archaeologist Dr. Albert Jenks. Other featured actors will include Mary Sundby as Nimuué, Rod Nord as P.F. Stary, Rick Johnson as truck driver Eugene Russell, Mark Champa as shovel operator Carl Steffen (the man who first spotted Nimuué's remains), Jim Sinclair as University of Minnesota geologist Dr. Clinton Staufer, and Cecil Ballard as Harvard geologist Dr. Kirk Bryan. All of the characters are based on real people.
"I think this is going to be a great historical event," said Gasper. "They have put together a lovely evening of not only art, but science and history as well. The Detroit Lakes community is in for a special treat. I'm looking forward to a wonderful evening."
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If you go
What: "Unveiling Nimuué"
When: Thursday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Historic Holmes Theatre, 826 Summit Ave., Detroit Lakes
Tickets: Admission is $22 for adults, $11 for students. Reserve your seats by calling 218-844-7469, visiting www.dlccc.org/holmes.html , or stopping by the box office located at 806 Summit Ave., Detroit Lakes. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the show.
