The Audition

Every year since I was young, I have loved watching The Nutcracker ballet at Christmas time. Later, my son and I continued the tradition with Sunday matinee “dates” that began when he was four. His sisters and father started coming with us a couple of years later, and now we all watch the story unfold together.

This year promises to be different.

All three of my children have taken ballet lessons for a variety of reasons. The benefits are multiple; it is fun exercise, they learn about their bodies, self discipline, how to follow directions, build muscle and joint strength, and improve memory. Every year they have expressed a mild interest in trying out for Nutcracker; it is open to anyone in the community and there are roles for all ages. This year especially, they all really wanted to go for it. We had a long discussion about how we would feel if someone didn’t get a part when others did, as well the responsibilities that come with accepting a part. Once that was straight, we were ready.

Auditions were at Columbia City Ballet on a Sunday afternoon. There were a zillion other kids and their parents (including a surprising amount of dads). They auditioned in age groups, which guaranteed that I would be there all day. The kids were all excited, but so were the adults. Older students shepherded groups of kids to the upstairs studios, where no parents were allowed. As I waited, I listened to talk around me. Some adults were discussing work or daily life, others networked about upcoming local productions, and parts they wanted for their child. It was an interesting spectrum of parenting, all in one room.

When I asked my children how they did, they were all confident. Not only that, they enjoyed themselves. One of my girls said “Mom, there was a rock star at try-outs!” At first I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about, but then it hit me. The ballet director, William Starrett is somewhat flamboyant in appearance and seems to enjoy trendy clothing, jewelry and hairstyles. I had to grin, wondering what he would think of her comparison.

Overall, auditioning was a positive experience for them regardless of outcome. We had to wait a few weeks to find out the results, which was a good lesson in patience as well. The worst of it was when we got two letters on Saturday and had to wait until Monday to see if there was a third. I exercised mom judgment and didn’t let anyone know about the mail until Monday afternoon.

We can now say that we have three professional dancers in our family-a party boy, a rollover mouse, and a cherub. Now we have to see if we can make it through rehearsals; held all Saturday afternoon, every week except Thanksgiving. It’s been great fun so far.