Nutcracker Anxiety

Pumpkin Girl has Nutcracker auditions tomorrow.  She’s a little nervous even though this year she’ll know 2 or 3 other girls with the same audition time.  One of her fellow sheep from last year’s production is in one of her ballet classes.  I heard them discussing which parts they hope to get, who is going to be there and wondering if their cartwheels are good enough to land them the gingersnap roles.

Actually, the whole studio was abuzz with Nutcracker speculations.  The auditions are city-wide, not just for our studio, so it’s anybody’s guess as to who will be cast as what.  Most of the younger girls (Pumpkin’s age) will be cast somewhere, it’s the advanced classes that really have to worry.  Still, it puts one on edge, no matter what your age and skill.

In addition to the natural nervousness that auditions bring, the traveling ballet company is different this year than in years past.  That means different costumes, different roles, different ways of casting the children.  There may not even be any gingersnaps this year, or they may be taken from the pool of children that are slightly older than Pumpkin.  Or maybe the gingersnaps won’t need to do cartwheels.

I’m trying to be a good ballet mom.  I’m trying to emphasize that the most important thing is to have fun.  Go to the audition, pay attention, smile, dance and have fun.  Whatever part you get, it’s a chance to dance on stage with professional dancers, a live philharmonic orchestra and in front of thousands of people.  No matter how long her ballet career is, she will always have this experience to look back on and remember.

(Ask me how I feel in a few years when she’s old enough to compete for the role of Clara! )

So off we’ll go tomorrow, me swinging a bag with knitting, her swinging a bag with ballet shoes, both with visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in our heads.

I hope we have fun.

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