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How many ballerinas can dance on tiptoes in one place? A world record 353 at New York’s Plaza Hotel

SPECIAL. I’M GOING TO END UP IN A RACE FOR AS LONG AS NINE YEAR OLD OLIVIA COULD REMEMBER. SHE ALWAYS LOVED BALLET. AND FOR THIS LITTLE GIRL, SHE DREAMED BIG. I LIFELONG DREAM UP TO BE AND BUTTON UP CRACK. BUT A YEAR AFTER SHE PUT ON BELLY SLIPPERS, A RARE DIAGNOSIS WOULD MAKE THAT DREAM HARDER TO REACH. CALLED FRIEDRICH TEXEA, IT AFFECTS ABOUT 15,000 PEOPLE NATIONWIDE. IT’S A NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE. STARTS OUT AFFECTING THEIR ABILITY TO AMBULATE. 5 TO 6 YEARS AFTER THEY’RE DIAGNOSED. THEY ARE DEPENDENT ON A WHEELCHAIR OR WALKER, AT LEAST WITH NO CURE FOR THE TERMINAL DISEASE. OLIVIA’S MOM TO MAKE HER DAUGHTER’S DREAMS COME TRUE. SO SHE REACHED OUT TO THE OKLAHOMA CITY BALLET. WE COULDN’T WAIT TO INCLUDE HER IN OUR PRODUCTION. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION, OLIVIA, WHEN YOUR MOM TOLD YOU YOU WERE GOING BE IN THE NUTCRACKER? I CRIED. OLIVIA, WILL GRACE THE IN A VINTAGE WHEELCHAIR EVERY OF THE NUTCRACKER ALONGSIDE HER FELLOW BALLERINAS. MY GIRL IS A GIRL NAMED MARY. MY SISTER. OH, CLARA. I’M A FOUR YEAR DRILL AT. BUT MY FRIENDS, ONE PART. WHY I CAN’T STAND. IT’S SO EXCITING. SHE’S LIKE, MOM, THEY’RE TRYING TO MAKE ME FAMOUS. THE OKLAHOMA CITY BALLET CREATED THIS ROLE JUST OLIVIA. AND THEY SAY IT’S HERS AS LONG AS SHE WANTS. WHEN IT’S OLIVIA’S TURN TO DANCE, EVERYONE JUST HAS THEIR EYES ON HER. IT’S REALLY? SOMETHING TO SEE HER STAGE. IT’S INSPIRED EVERYONE AROUND HER. I WAS JUST IN AWE, YOU KNOW, FOR ONE PERSON, THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, TO MAKE THAT CHOICE TO DO THAT. AND IT JUST IT BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES. IS IT PERFECT? IS IT THE WAY YOU ENVISIONED? I’M SORRY. I AM THINKING THAT I THOUGHT I HELPED MY WIFE AND, MY WORK.

How many ballerinas can dance on tiptoes in one place? A world record 353 at New York’s Plaza Hotel

Hundreds of young dancers in white tutus and tightly coiffed hair gathered in New York’s Plaza Hotel on Wednesday to break the world record for dancing on pointe in one place.The spectacle was organized by Youth America Grand Prix, a ballet scholarship program that is celebrating its 25th anniversary with three nights of performances at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.Video above: Nine-year-old ballerina’s dream comes true in Nutcracker productionThe dancers included students aged 9 to 19 who are competing for scholarships as well as professional dancers who are alums of the program.Tchaikovsky music played as the ballerinas stood on tiptoes and switched their weight rapidly from one foot to the other — a step called bourrée — for a full minute.Tina Shi, an adjudicator for Guinness World Records, announced the results: “353, that is a new Guinness world record! Congratulations!”The New York-based Youth America Grand Prix has operated the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition since 1999.The previous record for ballerinas on pointe en masse was 306.

NEW YORK —

Hundreds of young dancers in white tutus and tightly coiffed hair gathered in New York’s Plaza Hotel on Wednesday to break the world record for dancing on pointe in one place.

The spectacle was organized by Youth America Grand Prix, a ballet scholarship program that is celebrating its 25th anniversary with three nights of performances at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Video above: Nine-year-old ballerina’s dream comes true in Nutcracker production

The dancers included students aged 9 to 19 who are competing for scholarships as well as professional dancers who are alums of the program.

Tchaikovsky music played as the ballerinas stood on tiptoes and switched their weight rapidly from one foot to the other — a step called bourrée — for a full minute.

Tina Shi, an adjudicator for Guinness World Records, announced the results: “353, that is a new Guinness world record! Congratulations!”

The New York-based Youth America Grand Prix has operated the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition since 1999.

The previous record for ballerinas on pointe en masse was 306.