Olive's POV
During the process of rehearsing for my audition we finally figured out if I was type A or type B.
I'm a type A.
No matter how much Izzy or Caitlin or someone else said my dances looked amazing, I would nitpick over every little detail. Luckily I was homeschooled so things like homework were all I had. I stressed over simple things like pointing my toes after landing a ponche or spotting when turning.
My audition piece is created was to Agon, a famous ballet by Balanchine. The original piece was about twenty minutes, but I've taken two minutes of the composition
It took some convincing but the night before the audition Izzy had me go to sleep early so I could get up early.
I woke up ten minutes before my alarm, which gave me time to run through my dance one more time.
"No Olive." Izzy stood in the doorway. "You are not rehearsing any more until you get there. Now come eat breakfast."
I sighed and followed behind her.
I guess Izzy was right. When we got to the studio, I had the dance running through my head and I'm glad I didn't overwork myself earlier that morning. I took a sip from my water bottle, and Izzy promised that she'd wait in the lobby for me with the other moms.
I slid off my sweatpants, and went over to the hallway where everyone else was warming up. Cadence was there, stretching.
"Hey Cadence." I gave her a quick wave before sliding down next to her into a lunge.
"Olive hey!" Cadence was stretching out her middle splits. "You're going for Clara right?"
I nodded. "What about you?"
"Party scene or Snowflakes." Cadence replied. "I was in the children's division last year and I was a Hoop, and the year before that I was a Party Girl. I think I'd rather get Party Scene because Snowflakes are more for the advanced dancers who've worked farther en pointe."
I nodded again. Cadence was an enthusiastic talker and I didn't talk much. "That's cool."
"For Clara you have to make choreography right?" She asked, shifting into a straddle.
"Yeah." I slide out into my splits. "It was kind of hard."
"What music did you use?"
"Agon. George Balanchine." I reply.
"That's so cool! Most girls go with swan lake or sleeping beauty or something basic. You're unique like that!" Cadence smiled.
I smile as well. I didn't even think of that. "Break a leg Cay." I say.
"You too V." Cadence replies.
A little while later I'm at the Party Scene audition. At the advice of some of the older girls in the Advanced classes, I was auditioning for multiple roles. I'd already done the audition for the candy solos (like coffee, gumdrops, etc), and I'd already known going into the audition that they wouldn't take me for one of those roles because I wasn't en pointe and was brand new to the Advanced classes.
"Hello everyone." Lily and Madeline were all here, but in charge of casting was Daniel. Daniel always cast the productions our studio produced.
Honestly Daniel seemed like someone you want to impress and get on his good side at first, but he teaches the partnering class at our studio, and he's a goofball really.
Party Scene was for all of the divisions. There were some of the youngest children here, and it was honestly adorable, watching them be amazed by Gena (one of the college students) putting on her pointe shoes to practice a sequence en pointe. I was one of the newer students, even the younger students had auditioned for Nutcracker at least once.
It was very nerve racking as Daniel asked me to perform my piece in front of everyone, but the girls in the Advanced class immediately started cheering me on. What I loved about this studio was that everyone was supportive of everyone.
I plugged my phone into the speaker, and got set up. The pianist (and music director) gave me a nod and pressed play. Immediately I sprung into my combination of turns and immediate jumps I'd wanted to put at the beginning to grab people's attention.
When the music finished, I held my pose for three seconds, before letting out a breath and dropping my pose. The Advanced girls were cheering for me. Daniel, Lily, and Madeline smiled but didn't clap. Were they supposed to clap? I don't think so.
I took a seat by the mirror by Cadence.
Then we did the group sequence. They reviewed it for everyone but we were supposed to know it before coming into the audition.
After that it was time for the people auditioning for the dolls to perform their solo dances that they were supposed to learn in advance.
Cadence gave me a shaky smile and stood up to take her place. She was dancing as a wind up doll from what I could tell. Through her movement you could tell how nervous she was but she still did amazing.
The audition lasted for a very long time, but when it was over, I noticed how many people had been cut. There was an "I'm still here?" moment.
"Here's the cast everyone." Daniel smiled at all of us. He read off a list of the children's roles. Watching the little kids light up was so amazing to see. Then he read off those who would be playing the dolls.
Cadence would be dancing the role of the doll Columbine.
The other dancers in the party scene, maids and party guests were read off, and then we arrived at the named roles.
I'm thirteen now. I have plenty of time to get cast in the Nutcracker. I'm the youngest in the Advanced division. Clara is a role that usually goes to a 12-14 year old, a role done on flat foot. She's a young child, so even when you're fourteen you need to be relatively small.
The Advanced dancers are too old to be Clara now, but there are plenty of Intermediate dancers who could just as well get the role.
Clara's parents: Herr Stahlbaum and his wife, two of the dancers in oldest division for the college students. Herr Drosselmeyer, another college dancer. Louise and Fritz Stahlbaum: Clara's little sister and brother, a ten year old girl and eleven year old boy.
And then the leads. The Nutcracker, or the Prince, or Drosselmeyer's nephew. Trevor, one of the dancers in the Advanced division, I think he's about a year or so older than me, is casted as the Nutcracker.
And then the thing I've been nervous about all day. Who's getting casted as Clara.
"And of course, the lead of The Nutcracker, besides the Nutcracker himself. Our Clara this year is going to be Olive McCalla." Daniel gives me a smile.
I don't process it at first. Then Cadence gives my hand a squeeze and it hits me. The Advanced girls in my classes start cheering and I almost fall over if it weren't for Cadence being there.
We're handed packets of paper, and then released. I stumble out of the room, and somehow find my way down the hall. Izzy's there waiting for me, and I sit down shakily and try to take a drink from my water bottle.
"Did you get a role?" She asks.
I don't answer at first, and meekly hold up the thick packet of paper. "I'm Clara." I squeak out.
Izzy screams, and throws me into a hug and that's when I finally realize what just happened. I start crying from happiness.
My family meets us at a restaurant to celebrate. I'm thrown from person to person in hugs.
A lot of things happen in the next few weeks. I progress in my own classes, and I have my first pointe shoe fitting. It's been about a month and a half since being put into Intro to Pointe, but my teacher in that class (not Madame Reinold) thinks I'll put in more than enough work to make up for that. We start rehearsals, and I try to completely stay in control of my schedule.
Izzy is cast in Footloose at the Kennedy Center as Ariel. It took me a little while to realize that I'd be staying with Angie for a little bit while she's in DC. But she promised to be back before opening night.
So I keep dancing. My Nutcracker family (what we named the group chat) and I get a lot closer.
That's when things start circling around. SAB auditions in the spring. School of American Ballet. George Balanchine.
"Are you going to audition?" The girls in the Advanced division would ask around.
I don't know?