12-year-old Caroline Harris had one of the featured roles in Ballet Spartanburg's recent production of the holiday musical, "The Nutcracker." Every father has a special place in his heart reserved for his children - especially daughters.

Wanting to meet the every need of "Daddy's little girl," many of them will go above and beyond the call of duty in order to help their child reach for the stars.

For local resident Wayne Harris, it did not take much to realize where his daughter Caroline's heart was.

"My wife, Jennifer, and I would take our daughter to plays and other performances at a young age," Harris said. "She would watch them and tell us that one day she'd do the same thing."

Little did he know that time would come so soon.

The proud parents were part of a capacity audience at Converse College's Twichell Auditorium as Caroline performed in her biggest role thus far in her young career, as Clara in the traditional holiday favorite The Nutcracker.

Produced by Ballet Spartanburg, the play written by 19th century Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky steps into the mind of a child - a place where his or her wildest dreams come true.

"The Nutcracker is a joyous dream in which anything is possible - toys come to life and flowers dance before our eyes," according to a release from Ballet Spartanburg. "No other ballet captures the wonder, the energy and the imagination of the child's world."

The play is set in the middle of a Christmas party, where Clara receives a nutcracker as a gift from her godfather, the mysterious Herr Drosselmeyer. While the young girl is delighted with the gift, her joy is short-lived after her brother breaks the present.

Though she would cry herself to sleep with the nutcracker in her grasp, Clara soon learns that there is undoubtedly more to the gift than using it to take the shell off of hard nuts.

It is the biggest role to date for Caroline, who took up ballet training when she was nine years old. Now 12, she has quickly realized how much work is needed to create a top-notch production.

"They spent many nights rehearsing, sometimes until 9 o'clock," Wayne Harris said, "to make sure everything was down pat. Although it's hard work, (Caroline) really likes it and is enjoying the ride.

"And I know it's definitely not the last time she'll be on stage... this is just the beginning."