LOVES PARK -- Even as a 3-year-old, Daniella Milroy knew she wanted to be a professional ballerina, just like her mother.

"I thought it looked like fun," she said. "I loved the costumes she got to wear, and I wanted to be just like her."

Now a fifth-grader at Machesney Park Fine Arts Elementary School, Milroy continues working to make her dreams come true. She puts in more than six hours each week of dance practice, perfecting her ballet and jazz skills.

Milroy takes dance lessons from her mother, Petria, at Steps to Grace Academy in Loves Park, and travels three times a week to Madison for additional classes. Last weekend, she danced in Madison Ballet's production of "Cinderella" in the Wisconsin city's Overture Hall.

"It's a really neat ballet," said Milroy, who danced as one of 12 timekeepers. "The timekeeper tells Cinderella when it's time to leave the hall."

Limited to her role because of her age and size, Milroy has her eye on one day dancing in the lead role. Just as she envied her mother's costumes as a young girl, she now admires Cinderella's big dresses in the Madison production. In fact, she's quick to admit that the costumes are one of her favorite parts of ballet.

Of course, she wouldn't be willing to put in so much hard work every day if she didn't also love the art of dance.

"I like doing all the combinations and learning new things," the 10-year-old said. "It's challenging."

Q&A with Daniella Milroy

What is your favorite dance move? Going across the floor from the corner, because we do big jumps, and I like jumps.

What are some of your dancing goals? I want to become a famous dancer, and at some point in life, be Cinderella. She has many parts and gets to do a lot of jumps.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I like to play outside, draw, sing and play with my brother Taylor, who is 5.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? That I work for a modeling agency. I go to the Rock Agency, and I'm in an independent film from Chicago right now called "Lost."