Um....REALLY??

So, this is where I spent almost my entire day on Sunday.

This is the front view of the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga, a small city about 20 minutes north of our town.

This is where the "auditions" for the New York City Ballet summer program at SPAC for local children was held.

I put the word auditions in quotes for a reason.

Wanna know why??

BECAUSE NOT ONE GIRL ACTUALLY PERFORMED AN AUDITION!! 

NOT ONE GIRL WAS ASKED TO DANCE!!

And...so....I waited OUTDOORS (thank you God that it was a day in the low 70s with plenty of sunshine and not a typical March in NY day!) because parents were not allowed into the studio. At all.  Now, I can understand not being allowed into the actual dance studio...but no one was allowed in the building and some (ALOT) of these girls (and a few boys) were under the age of 10.  So...that was the first thing to say....um...really?? to.  Claire didn't have a problem going into the building by her self as she is 13 and pretty confident.  She expected to dance after waiting in line for 1 1/2 hours just to get INTO the building.

I on the other hand expected to have her dance especially since I waited out in the sun for FIVE AND A HALF HOURS!!!!  

But...it sure did open my eyes to the world of ballet and made me thankful that I have Claire in a small local studio and NOT down in NY at the American School of Ballet.  Some of these girls were....well....it was sad. Some were comparing their bodies and actually one girl was told she was too "chunky" (so not cool to say this to a young girl!). Now, I do understand that ballerinas look best thin.  Claire is very thin (she takes after my side of the family) BUT...I would encourage her to dance even if she was plump, if it was something she wanted or liked to do.  So...that was sad to witness.

I also saw moms going nuts when their little ones rushed outside after finally being let in only to scream and cry "I'm too short" or "I'm too young".  BUT.....no where did I hear "they didn't have us dance"

Until after FIVE HOURS!  One young teen came rushing out, in tears, and said to her mom that it was a joke.  That all they did in her group was walk across the floor, hold out their arms and either told "too short", "just right" or "too tall".

And I thought......um...realy?? 


no actual ballet moves were required??  all that pre-stretching and plieing in line, and tightening of the laces for nothing?????  all this SITTING AROUND FOR FIVE AND ONE HALF HOURS AND NO ACTUAL DANCING WAS INVOLVED??????

about 150 local girls (some from as far as 3 hours away...so i guess not so local...she was actually told "you live too far away") and not ONE of them had to actually dance.


Claire still wasn't out at 5 pm so I thought that it must be a good sign.

And then Claire came out.  Hair still neatly in a bun.  5:30 in the late afternoon. Serious look on her face.  Ballet bag dragging in the sand....and I thought "um...really??"

"Mom, they divided us into groups and we only had to walk across the floor and hold our arms out!  I am too short for my age group.  I'm 5'2" and I have to be 5'4" (that's your height, Mom).  And they never asked to see me dance.  NOTHING...no dancing.  The ballet mistress told us at 2 pm that we were NOT going to be auditioning with dance this year. WHY didn't they just let us go then if they saw we weren't the right height?  Really, Mom??"

I asked her if ANY ONE danced any ballet moves. She said NO.

Really, New York City Ballet??  I understand that you want the girls to be able to fit in to the costumes...but do you think next year you could give the specifications on your website BEFORE the day of the audition and  once we are there, actually have the girls show what they can do in BALLET??? (the costumes were for the ballet "Firebird" and they website said they needed 15 local girls when in actuality they only took about 8...i guess the rest of them were too short or too tall or too fat)

REALLY??? disappointing experience for sure...and although we love NYCBallet and will attend as many of the ballets they are doing this summer up at SPAC that we can, we are NOT impressed with the auditions.


2 local girls from the next town over from us got in.  With NO dancing required. The local paper made a big deal of this audition. All for publicity for SPAC.  Um...really??? so pathetic. Those girls never got to do ballet in front of the NYC people.  really.  Good grief...Claire had more dancing time auditioning for the little drama ministry at our church a few years ago, than she did with NYCB???? her junior high musical audition had way more requirements for talent/ability (drama, dancing, and singing) than any other musicals she has performed in (this musical she is in this weekend is her 10th musical since age 8 and this June's Dance Show will be her 10th ballet show)

No dancing!!  REALLY

So.....

this was based on height alone and NOT ability.

Claire on pointe
January 2012

Claire took comfort in that and said Um really Mom, I am so trying again next year if they open it up to local children again.


And I just thought.......

Um, really??

Claire in a pas de deux
Dance Show
Academy of Dance/Latham
June 2011