Honorable mention: Zhauna Franks

Tom Wallace, Star Tribune

Zhauna Franks

Whenever Ballet of the Dolls takes the stage, all eyes are on this galvanic dancer.

By Rick Nelson, Star Tribune

Last update: December 27, 2008 - 8:55 PM

If she were a movie star instead of a dancer, Franks' 21-year career with Ballet of the Dolls would rival that of Barbara Stanwyck's or Meryl Streep's, such is the astonishing variety and depth of her repertoire.

Occasional Dolls-goers know her best for her wickedly plasticine portrayal of Barbie in the company's long-running, twisted-sister version of "The Nutcracker," but that's just the tip of this unstoppable iceberg.

In 2008 she firmly cemented her feet into Dolls bedrock. First and foremost was a fearless star turn in "Rite of Spring," where she turned hanging upside down on a rope into an art form. But even when Franks is not the main event -- flashing her way through the ensembles of this year's "Born to Be Alive," "Little Match Girl" and "Italian Cabaret: La Dolce Vita," for example -- she manages to glue all eyes to her.

That she also choreographed (and performed in, naturally) the witty "The Dream Channel" only affirms her stature in the local dance pantheon.