This past weekend Caedmon made his ballet production debut. And he couldn’t have been happier or had a better time.
After a week of tech and dress rehearsals Saturday morning finally arrived, the day of his first two shows. He was very excited. During the week while we were driving to rehearsals I reminded him that when he was on the stage to smile to which he told me “Mommy, sometimes just being on the stage makes me smile”. So he clearly did not need any help from me.
His first show was actually a mini production aimed for kids that was narrated. I was helping backstage and I helped get him and the other little page to the stage. I reminded them that pages sit up big and straight (because during rehearsals they had gotten a little bored and slumped and laid down often). The show went great and it was perfect for the little ones to watch and then the audience all got to take photos with the cast afterwards. Caedmon and the other younger kids in the show had only practiced the mini version once before because it was the same thing that the older dancers did for all their out reaches. I saw that Caedmon and the other little page did a great job of sitting straight on the bench with the Queen and King and then they continued to sit there as the story moved on and the King and Queen left the bench and went back to the thrown. They were suppose to follow them to the thrown area but instead they continued to sit tall and proud on the bench and remained there the entire production….even through the bows at the end. I don’t think the audience even caught it, but it made me giggle off stage to see them.
Initially we had planned on going to a park for lunch and running around between the Saturday shows but it was snowing outside. So we camped out in the boys room and ate our lunches. We still had quite awhile until the full length show and so to help get some of the little boy energy out we headed to the auditorium. All the bigger dancers were on stage going through their warm ups and Caedmon loved to watching them. After a bit he got a big grin on his face and headed to the back of the auditorium and then would run up the aisle to me at the bottom and I would spin him around and then he’d head back up again. We both had a great time and it got that boy energy out.
Before long it was time to get him dressed and ready for the show. I left him with the backstage mom and headed out to meet my parents and Edric to watch the show. His part had him running on the stage just a couple minutes into the opening and handing off the scroll to the King’s Assistant that had all the invited guests for the baby princess’s birth. After handing it off he then took a big bow and ran off the stage to get the Queen’s cape and be her assistant. As he was running off many people started clapping for him. On the way home after the show I asked him if he heard people clapping for him, he got a big smile and said he did. Edric was then asked why people were clapping for him and he answered “Because I was on stage and you weren’t”. So yes…may need to work on being humble a little bit.
Caedmon was only in the first part of the 3 part performance and so he got to come and sit with us during the other two parts. He was on the edge of his seat watching everything and loved it all. Sunday’s full length show went just as well. I was backstage that day but I still got to see his big entrance part. The rest of the ballet was excellent and everyone did great.
It was a long week of rehearsals (and actually 4 months of weekend rehearsals), but watching him just light up and love each moment was so worth it. I don’t know if he’ll dance for a few years or if this will become a life long thing, but getting to see his passion and joy with it has been so much fun.
Hiking Mommy 