Photographing dancers?

What kind of camera settings should I use when photographing a points ballet dancer using a digital Nikon 35mm

Added (1). Sorry I meant to say digital or a 35mm because I shoot with both. And the shot will be done outside in the botanical gardens. So lighting shouldn't be an issue. I think half my problem right now is that my digital doesn't shoot the picture fast enough. Like there's a delay from the time to button is depressed to the time the camera takes the picture.

Well first problem you have is there's no such thing as digital 35mm. One if film, 35mm and the other is digital, which are you shooting with.

It depends on the light you have with both film and video, which ever you're using. More light the better because you can get a faster shutter speed, if you want to freeze the action. If you want blur then go for less light.

Manual will give you the best control. You can set your shutter speed and aperture to get the desired effects. Actually, lighting will be a huge issue if you're shooting outside in sun unless you shoot early morning or late afternoon. A gelled flash (CTS or CTO gels) will provide fill lighting which will reduce harsh shadows.

If your subject will stay at the same distance, you can use manual focus. Along with manual settings, you should have very minimal shutter delay with any DSLR or newish SLR. If you use auto focus, press the shutter release half way to lock focus, then shoot at the appropriate moment. On a Nikon DSLR, you can set the focus mode to continuous (AFC) mode which will track focusing when the shutter release is depressed half way.