Anne Sidney Davenport was a little girl with a dream who, with a lot of hard work, fulfilled that dream through the Richmond Ballet.

Her wakeup call will come Tuesday in a performance at the ballet's Studio 3 presentations of "Mozartiana" by George Balanchine and a world premiere of "Voyages" by Mauricio Wainrot.

The wakeup-call reference is in no way a negative attribution to the works, the dancer or the dream. For Davenport, it's just another step in her life.

As the principal dancer in "Mozartiana," Davenport will share the stage with four young students from the School of Richmond Ballet in her farewell performance.

"It will be a poignant moment for me," said Davenport, 32. "The piece opens with four small girls around me, so having children in the production reflects the journey I have had here." And it also represents the road signs on her career path that will keep her in touch with children.

"I've always been interested in working with children," Davenport said. "When I was in high school, I volunteered in the Head Start program and also worked with Paul Newman's The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp."

Davenport, who also has taught dance to children through the Richmond Ballet, volunteers through the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in its pediatric ward, shadowing child-life specialists in their duties. She also has taken classes to become certified as a child-life specialist and has received an internship with VCU that begins this summer.

But dancing will never be far from her heart or her career. She will continue on staff with the Richmond Ballet as a teacher.

"I'm really looking forward to that. It's a great way to give back," Davenport said.

Davenport was in a production of "Coppélia" when she was 12 and said she knew then: "This is what I want to do with my life. That's when I really started to feel the magic."

Davenport has felt the magic with numerous roles in her 11 years with Richmond Ballet -- three as a trainee and apprentice and eight as a full-time company member.

She has danced numerous roles but singles out the title roles in "Cinderella," "Giselle" and "Now and Then" as perhaps her most memorable.

"Now and Then" was her first new work and was choreographed by Wainrot, who did the choreography for "Voyages," which will be her last piece for the company.

"I've come full circle with Mauricio's works," Davenport said. "So this also will be an emotional moment for me."

"Anne Sidney is the quintessential Richmond Ballet dancer," said Stoner Winslett, founding artistic director of the company. "She is beauty and grace coupled with both guts and whimsy."

"I've learned so much about artistry and technique from Malcolm Burn [artistic associate and ballet master]," Davenport said. "And I'm grateful to the director of our school, Judy Jacob, for the chance to continue in the teaching area.

"I'm sure it [retirement] will hit me somewhere along the way," Davenport said. "But I don't think it will be overly traumatic. It's all a part of life, and I'm just so fortunate to have had a company like Richmond Ballet to work with here where my home is."

Until that time comes, Davenport will just -- as always -- keep on her toes.
Contact Walt Amacker at (804) 649-6247 or wamacker@timesdispatch.com.