Another WWYD - dance audition

[Dobela]

Last Tuesday dd's dance teacher (and studio owner) invited dd to try out for a position in the Moscow Ballet Nutcracker performance. Nothing major, just one of the snowflakes. Tryouts are today. She said the girls have to be 6, but dd is 5. Not the best dancer, but definately one of the most enthusiastic. Teacher said she thought it would still be ok for dd to try out even though she isn't old enough since she would be working with her. Fast forward to this morning and I finally make it to the official Moscow Ballet website to sign up for the audition and read that the dancers have to be 7 years old.

 

I am concerned that my child should not try out. She would love it, but... I haven't talked about it to her so she isn't expecting it at this point. I have called the teacher and texted the teacher but no reply yet. If I don't hear back, should I just take her to the audition anyway based on the last conversation or skip it based ont he ages on the website?

[abbeyej]

I would skip it. Your dd isn't counting on it, she's *very* young, and it would be much more upsetting to get to the audition and be *sent*home* (which is what often happens at these things) than simply to enjoy being in the audience this year and to build anticipation for the time when she *is* old enough.

[Whereneverever]

I would skip it. Your dd isn't counting on it, she's *very* young, and it would be much more upsetting to get to the audition and be *sent*home* (which is what often happens at these things) than simply to enjoy being in the audience this year and to build anticipation for the time when she *is* old enough.

 

:iagree:

[DianeW88]

You will have to fill out a form at the audition asking for her age. They will not let her audition if she is not the minimum age. And if they did allow her to take the audition class, they would not choose her for the role. I'd skip it.

 

Just another thought....if this is a professional company's performance, they do not allow mothers to be backstage during the rehearsals or the production. That is hours of time that you would not be with your dd. That is hard on a five year old. That's one reason my dd's company will not allow anyone under the age of seven to audition. Younger kids end up in tears after spending several hours backstage without their mothers, and then are told that they'll have to tough it out for a few more.

Edited September 2, 2012 by DianeW88

[Dobela]

Thank you. Her teacher did call me back and is very insistant that she wants dd to come to the audition. When I shared the above concerns, she said to not worry about it. She has worked with this ballet for 10 years and they have even had 4 yr olds be snowflakes. She also said that my dd was so wonderful and enthusiastic with last years recital that her age won't be a problem (and is why she wants her to come), and that she will always be with her in the practices. Ok, I know, my dd LOVES being on stage and does have a great stage presence even if she isn't the best dancer. I don't know how many are trying out, but we will go. I have just told dd that she gets to dance with a real ballerina today. At least she can think that today is special for that reason. No need for her to know it is an audition or that this could lead to her dancing on stage. And, this will give me a no pressure glimpse into what will happen in the future. I never took dance as a child so this is all new territory for me.

[Starr]

Enjoy the audition and let us know what happens.

[Dobela]

The audition was 2 hours long, for the little girls. I understand now why her teacher wanted her to come. Very, very few girls came to audition for youngest parts. Everyone who tried out for snowflake became a snowflake. Some were even offered a second role as well (as the French children, etc). Even with that, they had to ask a couple of older (but small in stature) girls to be snowflakes as well. There were an abundance of much older girls for the older parts but we didn't stay to see how those all ended. My daughter did ok, and is absolutely thrilled to be a snowflake. The ballerina from the Ballet complemented her on her positive attitude and enthusiam even though she struggled with keeping up and learning as fast as the other girls. Overall, I think this will be a good experience for my daughter, hopefully a good memory, even if she never does it again. I did sign up to be one of the mom's backstage though so I can keep a close eye on her myself.

 

Rehearsals begin next Saturday, and will be every Saturday until the show (the Sunday after Thanksgiving). Fortunately they are all going to be at our dance studio until performance day so no long distance traveling until show day. The show is about an hour away on a professional stage. That I know will be a very long day as dress rehersals are that morning with the show that afternoon.

 

What surprised me were the number of older girls who were apparently there just to build their resume. One girl, after being given some more important role, had a very upset mother over the rehearsal times. Apparently this child is in competitive gymnastics, competitive dance, and some other specialty dance programs that take up pretty much every evening and all day Saturday. They live 2 hours from our studio and the mom thought our director would either come to her or allow the girl to learn it all on her own and just show up for performance day. Really? The audition information was very clear as to where the practices would be located.

 

Next hurdle - buying tickets. Wow! Those start at $50 per person for nose bleed! I need to make sure the grandparents are coming - so maybe they will pay LOL.

[DianeW88]

Welcome to the wonderful world of "Nutcracker"!! The bread and butter of every professional ballet company, even though the dancers hate it with a passion. :lol:

 

I'm glad she had such a great experience for her first audition!! And, wow, I'm surprised so few young dancers showed up....that age group always has over 100 girls trying out here. Did they publicize the audition well?

 

Glad you're going to be a backstage mom, that will make it a little easier for your dd, although rehearsals and dress rehearsals are exhausting. As well as the rules....no sitting down in costume, no playing with the costume, no eating in the costume. It's so hard for the little ones sometimes, but overall, they usually love it!!

 

And if you do Nutcracker often enough, you will be able to hum the entire score by heart, and be able to dance the entire thing. We moms used to play a game backstage by the time our dds were in their late teens....Name that Nutcracker Tune. "I can tell you what scene that piece in Nutcracker comes from in four notes." It's crazy, but all in a good way.

 

And yes, the ticket prices...ridiculous. Set aside a few hundred dollars a year to pay for tickets to performances. I don't even want to guess how much my dh and I have paid over the years just to see our dd dance. :glare:

 

Have fun and congratulate your dd for me on her first big role!!!

[Dobela]

Thanks, Diane! It was well publicized but I think having the audition on a holiday weekend, and a Sunday afternoon, must have effected turnout. I know several girls from our studio didn't come for that reason. Plus, the performance this year is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I know our director said that was always a bad day for a performance. I saw several studios represented on the sign in sheet and I heard it was advertized in several papers, including the largest state one.

 

You could tell which moms were seasoned. They didn't just bring a magazine, they brought several newspapers, large notebooks, huge knitting bags... you name it. And then, when they would finish whatever they had, they would go out to the car and switch for an equally large bag of to do items LOL.

[DianeW88]

Oh yeah, knitting is huge in the ballet world. It's a great way to pass the time.

 

And just one performance sounds like a great way to introduce her to the stage. Here in Utah, Ballet West does Nutcracker from Thanksgiving through New Years, so there are usually six children's casts. They perform a week or so at a time, and each child will do 6 or 7 shows. They're very seasoned by the end of it. It's also run like clockwork, which I appreciated so much.

 

It's a union company, so parents are NOT allowed anywhere backstage. The "backstage mom" basically does nothing except remind the girls to be quiet. :D You are not allowed to touch your dd's hair, makeup or costume (not even one button...they come unglued and will ask you to leave). The girls are dressed by a "dresser" and their hair and makeup are also done by someone else. I got a lot of knitting done when I was a Nutcracker mom. :lol:

 

Do you know which version of Nutcracker the company is performing? It's always fun for the young dancers to see a video of it first to give them an idea of the story and an overall view of the performance. There are lots of versions, so if you know which one the company is doing, I'm happy to point you in the direction of a video that will come close to it. Most little girls love watching it anyway...it's a great introduction to the ballet.

[Sharon37127]

I was really excited to see this thread as I could be the one writing it in a month or so (except my daughter is 6 turning 7 over Thanksgiving break). She had been doing ballet for a few years now and is very passionate about it. We do it through the local company that works with the Moscow Nutcracker when they come to town. Ours is right at Christmas, so it sounds like practices would be October, November, and December.

 

She and I went to see it last year. I haven't told her yet that girls from her class can try out. Her teacher also told us she should go to auditions. I was more concerned they wouldn't let her since she wouldn't be 7 by the audition (a few weeks after), but would in plenty of time for the show. She was really encouraging about it and assured me the age limit wouldn't be a problem. I've been trying to find info on what it is really like.

 

Dobela- please come back here and update on what the rehearsals are like. I would really like the feedback. Our try-outs aren't until mid Oct. I'm a bit nervous about what my daughter will experience with DianeW88's review. My biggest concern would be that a little one would walk out on stage and freeze. I don't think my daughter would do that as we have done performances and she has been in the theater where it's held. That would be heartbreaking to me.

[DianeW88]

Awww, don't worry about it, Sharon....I hope I didn't make you nervous. Nutcracker is great fun for kids, and at the youngest ages, they try not to make it too taxing. The girls do learn a lot of patience though, because it is a lot of "hurry up and wait". They also have to learn to sit quietly, so they are not distracting to the older girls and the pros during dress rehearsals.

 

It's always been a great experience for my dd from the time she had her first role as "party girl" at 8 all the way up to her time now as a professional and guesting as "Sugar Plum" for other youth companies.

 

It's hard work and the girls have to remember their parts, but it's generally not difficult at the youngest ages, when they're either Buffoons with Mother Ginger or angels (NYC ballet version) or snowflakes. Mostly it's just a walk around the stage, so all the girls are very comfortable with it.

 

If your dd has a passion for ballet, she'll LOVE doing Nutcracker. It's such a great experience!!

[Dobela]

http://www.nutcracker.com/ The Moscow Ballet is who she will be dancing with. Moscow Ballet soloist and Audition Director Olga Aru is who conducted the auditions for us. She will be here another 3 days or so to work with the older girls. The other dances will be performed by Olga and videotaped by our director so the girls can watch to learn their choreography. The snowflakes do have a pretty easy, repetitive routine so even if they mess up, I think they will still be cute.

 

I love to knit, and often knit during regular classes so I can at least fit in there LOL.

 

Another mom was telling us about her experience last year. No cameras, no make up on any of the young children - not even mascara or lip gloss for fear it will get on costumes, only water... They also have dressers but I have been given strict instructions on how my daughter's hair is to be styled before we arrive. She said the hardest part for her son and daughter were watching the ballerinas smoking. Apparently many of them puffed almost nonstop between their time on stage. She also told us to start looking for a Nutcracker to present with flowers after the performance. She didn't know about that tradition last year and had to send her dh out during dress rehearsal, last minute, to find one. I am hoping that by starting to look now I can find a nice one on sale.

 

Sharon, check with your director about audition attire. For the little ones here they were not very strict, but for the older ones they were very particular about the color of leotard and tights, and the tights couldn't even have runs in them. For the actual performance I have been told to purchase a white or beige leotard, pink tights, and shoes must be cleaned to look new.

 

As far as the early rehearsals, I don't think they will be much different from those in the spring preparing for recital. They will be with her regular teacher, about an hour at a time, unless the girls need more. I admit though I am concerned as to how well my daughter will make it thru the dress rehearsal and performance day.

[DianeW88]

She said the hardest part for her son and daughter were watching the ballerinas smoking. Apparently many of them puffed almost nonstop between their time on stage.

 

Yes, unfortunately a lot of ballet dancers still smoke like chimneys. Especially the Russians. LOL Also, do not expect that they will tone down their vocabulary in front of the little ones either (although they may swear in Russian). Most dancers detest Nutcracker and the little children that come along with it. There are a few that will be nice, but most will ignore the kids at best. Depending on how the roles are cast, there may be some nudity backstage as well. Quick changes do not always allow for dressing rooms. Plenty of dancers just have to strip down right offstage. They have dressers, so usually the kids don't notice, but be aware. Underwear is not worn under any adult dance attire. Well, the men do wear a dance belt. :D

 

Also, do not say "good luck" to a dancer. That's bad luck. Say "merde". That's French for sh*t. That's good luck. You'll hear it often.

 

The children's dance mistress will generally keep them away from the pros for the most part, so hopefully it will be just fine.

 

Back stage at a real ballet can be quite....educational....for the little ones.

[Catwoman]

Congratulations to your dd! I'll bet she will be an adorable snowflake!

 

:party: