Dear Ballet Parent's Guide,
Recently, my school had Nutcracker auditions and I was really hoping to get the role of Clara this year. I have been practicing the steps all summer, and my instructor even told me that I performed the steps well when we practiced Clara's step recently in class. This past weekend was the auditions for the Nutcracker, and as usual I signed up to audition for all of the roles that I was eligible for, including Clara. When it was time to audition for Clara however, my instructor dismissed me from even trying for the role and asked me to come back for the next audition time slot. I was very upset by this, and though I tried not to show it or let it affect me for the rest of the day, I know that my other auditions suffered too. The parts were posted this week and I received roles in both the waltz of the flowers and snow corps, which are both on pointe (Clara was in soft shoes). I'm excited to be moving up to pointe roles now, but I also just can't shake the feeling that I was robbed of being able to audition for Clara and that this should have been my year to be Clara. How do I move on from this feeling of rejection?
Lisa in Phoenix
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Dear Lisa,
I can understand the disappointment you're feeling with not being able to audition for your desired role of Clara. Many dancers have experienced similar circumstances throughout their training too, and I've also had to make these decisions with casting as a director so hopefully I can shed some light on your director's decision to help you tackle these feelings.
It's important to remember that casting is not just about being the right fit for the role, but also that the casting as a whole works with you in that role. You may have done very well in the role of Clara this year, but casting for the production may not have worked out correctly with you performing Clara. It sounds like in this particular instance, your instructor knew that you were needed in more advanced pointe roles and that she wouldn't be considering you for Clara anymore. This may have been her way of gently preparing you for not receiving the role of Clara. In many productions, Clara is seen as the top of the Intermediate level of dancers (I'm assuming this about yours because you had mentioned that the role is performed in soft shoes.) The next level above this would be performing on pointe in the corps de ballets and beginning to preparing for ACT II divertissement roles. Without knowing a whole lot about your production, it might just be that you have outgrown the role of Clara and are now starting to be seen as an advanced dancer in your director's eyes.
Another thought to remember is that you are probably not alone in your disappointment with not being cast as Clara. In most productions, there are many girls who want to perform Clara, but only one or two girls will get cast in this role. Many are going to feel sad about not receiving this role, but this is a large part of being a cast member of any production. More often than not, you won't get the role you are hoping for, but that doesn't mean that you failed or didn't do your best. That's just how production casting goes, and every part in the production adds to the quality of the end performance. Try your best to show your support to not only the other dancers who also didn't get Clara, but to the dancers who were cast as Clara too. Someday, it might be you who receives the lead role, and you'll want your friends to support you like you had for them.
Overall though, I would try to look at this as a positive progression in your training. You're performing on pointe for the first time which is amazing! Your dedication to ballet will soon allow you to perform more advanced roles in ACT II. Keep working hard and progressing! You've got this!
Niki Maple
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