By ARIELLA MONTI
Originally cast as a swing, an actress trained to play a number of parts, she now holds the roll of dancer Sharon Percy.
"Sharon thinks she's the best and has a big rivalry going with the other good dancer in the class, Tina Harmer," said Heather of her character. "She will do anything to get to the top."
Asked if she had anything in common with her onstage persona, Heather said the similarities stop at both being dancers. "I'm more the kind of person who just dances because I love it. I don't really care if I'm better than anyone else," she said. At her young age Heather is already an accomplished Irish dancer having competed internationally.
Heather was one of 13 girls chosen from the 1,500 who auditioned for a role in the original Broadway production. Since then, the Oceanside Middle School student has called the set her classroom, being taught by tutors before a full day of rehearsals and preview shows.
"Once the show officially opens most of us will go back to our schools," she said adding that cutting rehearsals during the day will lighten her schedule.
With all that time being spent on set, Heather has become exceptionally close with her cast mates. "We're kind of like a family because we spend so much time together," she said. With two working parents and two equally active sisters, Amanda, 16, and Julia, 8, Heather's traditional family also had to adjust to a hectic daily agenda.
"This summer was a little crazy and we all had to be a little flexible because Heather's rehearsal schedule was different every day, making it impossible to plan ahead," said her mother, Heidi. As the summer ended and school started, Heather was able to get a driver to take her to the city each day, leaving more time for parents to spend with her sisters.
"In a lot of ways, Heather being in Billy Elliot has simplified our lives," said Heidi. "Heather was always involved in so many things that were always juggling her and her sisters' schedules and driving them wherever they needed to go."
For Heather, the exhausting schedule was part of an experience that few get to encounter. "Being on a Broadway stage feels so amazing," she said. "When you get up on that stage in front of all those people, you know it's all worth it.
Comments about this story? AMonti@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
