Auditions….

As I’ve mentioned before Caedmon loves ballet and has from a very young age when he went with me to one of my adult ballet classes and told me “Mommy, I wuv ballet, I want dance ballet.” When we use to go to the open gym play time at our prior gymnastics place before moving, there would been a girl in her late teens that would come and use one of the dance rooms to practice her dances on pointe shoes and Caedmon would just sit in front of the door and watch and be entralled.

He has always been way out numbered with little girls. It hasn’t really bothered him, but late this fall we found a studio that does boys ballet and Caedmon has really enjoyed it. When I was recently working I called to say good night to everyone and I asked Caedmon how his class went. He told me “Really good, we did push ups and exercises to get stronger, but we didn’t do any army crawls and those would make us strong too.”

On Saturday the studio where he takes dance had auditions for their spring performance of Sleeping Beauty. Auditions were for all ages and as we learned they find a part for everyone because they feel that it is important to let everyone learn and perform and enjoy ballet no matter the age or talent. The studio has a pre-professional division as well and those students work really hard and dance amazingly well. Caedmon who loves to be on the stage wanted to try out. As we were driving into the auditions he asked me, “Mommy why don’t many boys do ballet, don’t they know its the best way to get really strong?” I told him that they must not know that. He also told me that he does not want to be a princess or a fairy, and I told him that there were plenty of girls and so that probably wasn’t going to happen.

The pre-professional dancers were finishing up their auditions when we got to the studio and Caedmon gave me a big smile and then settled in to watch them. He just sat and stared at the window for a good 15 minutes while they finished up.

As the big kids finished and they called the little ones in I saw his first nerves come through. He came to me in tears and said “mommy, there are no other boys here, just girls.” (Funny to think about how in about 8 years that will be the best thing in his world and not tear-worthy). I reassured him and went in with him to sit down and help him warm up. It didn’t take long and he was ready to go in just a few while I snuck away to the parents meeting.

The parent’s meeting finished up and we got to watch through the window their little auditions as they learned little parts and practiced them. He gave me a few big smiles through the window. When I told him later that I saw them practicing and all walking on their toes he was quick to inform me- “mommy the girls walked on their toes, I just stepped with my toes pointed and did jumps.”

We’ll find out Monday what part he got and then start weekly rehearsals. I love that it just makes him smile and he really enjoys it. Yes it may not be a typical “boy-thing” to enjoy, but he is gaining life long skills, strength, and enjoying each moment of it and that’s all I can ask for.