Opening night and it’s a full house. Backstage dancers stretch before the performance. Allison Rixey is nervous as she finishes her make-up.

On this night, she’s performing as the Dew Drop Fairy in the Classen School of Advanced Studies’ performance of The Nutcracker.

“Everything that I learned since I’ve come to OU and gained from my education all came together in that performance,” says Rixey, ballet performance and pre-med senior. “It was the performance of a lifetime.”

Rixey knew in high school she wanted to be a dancer and work in medicine.

“When I was in high school, I took anatomy,” Rixey says. “I realized dancing has so much to do with the human body. I thought, I’d really like to get into medicine and maybe in the future help injured dancers.”

Rixey has experience with injuries. She broke her foot in February after landing a jump wrong in ballet. She says she focused on organic chemistry when she was unable to dance for four months.

“It’s kind of real-world experience with an injury,” Rixey says.

Beyond real-world experience, Rixey says OU is known for their excellent ballet training and science programs.

“I knew I would be able to get professional-level training and go on for a career in professional ballet, and I also wanted to pursue medicine after I’m done dancing,” she says.

That’s why Rixey is a Sooner.

“I think for me, being a Sooner has so many opportunities you can take advantage of,” she says. “Being a fine arts student it’s great to see the School of Drama and School of Music and all of the talent there. Being pre-med it’s nice to have great teachers that help you through challenging classes.”

She describes OU as a big school but also as a big family. When she’s not dancing or studying, Rixey likes to eat out with her friends or visit Oklahoma City.

“We all get so busy it’s nice to take time off and just catch up with each other’s lives,” she says.

Rixey says students need to take advantage of every opportunity at OU and make new friends.

“Don’t be afraid to try something new,” she says. “Take advantage of every opportunity; You only have four years and it goes by faster than you think.”

After graduation, Rixey plans to audition for several ballet companies. She wants to see where auditions and performing lead her and then pursue her dream of medical school.

After all, her favorite aspect of dance is performing.

“Those are my favorite, just being on stage and being able to share that with everyone else in the community,” she says.