Audition Day

She’s been extremely excited for today. Today Northern Ballet came to audition children for their production of the Nutcracker. There were two roles to audition for- mouse, which is quite a small role and party girl which is a bigger role with several dances and some scenes. The criteria for both had a very small overlap whIch Katie was in the fortunate position to fit in, so we arrived ready for a long day of two auditions and (we hoped) some rehearsal time. The age requirement for party children was “10 but 9 if strong dancers”. 9 on performance day. Her ballet teacher specifically asked her to audition for party child.

We arrived a bit early and got her sorted with numbers etc. They took them off to warm up and straight into their first audition. There were loads of them, some much older girls and some very strong ones. But this little monkey of mine smashed it. She’s old enough for the exception category by only 3 weeks and was the first junior to be chosen for the party children. She’s the only one her age who got party child not mouse. We didn’t even have to go through the mouse auditions (woohoo says mama!). And!!! She’s got a little duet! So exciting. The children who were chosen didn’t reappear, they went straight into a lesson to start learning their choreography, so I didn’t see her for 3 hours after I had sent her in. When she came out, she didn’t actually have the ability to speak words because her grin was so massive. She came out just as the mice auditionees had been taken in to warm up and I was talking with some of the mums. They were thoroughly lovely & encouraging of Katie.

Her teacher has said the party girls have a lot to learn that it’s going to take more rehearsing than she’d anticipated but Katie had loved it. Such an exciting afternoon!! Katies one request before her audition for after audition treat was cheese puffs. Not wotsits. Cheese puffs. It had to say cheese puffs. So there was a bag of cheese puffs in her car seat when she got back. Then I took her to Hotel Chocolat for a salted caramel hot chocolate that came with a mound of chocolate mousse cream. Happy Katie!

However, our day wasn’t done! Tonight Katie was performing a new solo in the celebration concert for the January music festival. It had to be postponed because of the snow. She played a lovely piece that she’s using for audition and did a nice job of it. I think she may have got a bit nervous when she got to the front - the church was very full so the people were sat right up to her, which she never much likes. She likes an audience, but at a distance. But she did well, sounded beautiful and looked gorgeous in her current favourite posh performance outfit. She played fourth out of a 25-performer programme but asked to leave after 10. Given the day she’d had and the fact she’s got music school then 5 hours at dancing tomorrow, I agreed. We stopped to get her sausage & beans from the chip shop (thoroughly delighted her!) before depositing her in her bed!

Amazing job today, BabyGirl. You blow my head, you really do.