Personal Narrative Essay: Nutmeg Ballet School

“Don’t be nervous.” This was the last thing my mom said to me before I entered my first audition for a ballet summer intensive. I was eleven. I did ok and I ended up getting in but like always there were things to improve on. Little did I know then that the teachers are always looking for three things; technique, confidence, and artistry.

The audition was for Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory. The class was being held at the Alvin Ailey School in New York City. Being my paranoid self, I was there two hours early. The teachers weren’t even there yet, so I waited in a studio and warmed up on my own. My friend showed up thirty minutes later for the same audition and we preceded to spend the next thirty minutes trying to calm each other down.

“There’s no way I’ll get in, look at the other girls, there’s no way,” said my friend.

“You’re going to be great, don't worry! If anyone isn’t going to get in it’s me.”

“No! You’re an amazing dancer!”

Blah blah blah and so on.

Imagine thirty minutes

Until this one center combination that with I thought I tragically destroyed my chances in getting into the program. It was the petite allegro (small, fast jumps) combination. I totally bombed it. It started with me entirely off the music and ended with me forgetting the whole combination. I was so embarrassed. The teacher was looking right at me. I took this single moment of individual attention from the teacher and jogged around to join the next group to show that I could do it better. I redeemed myself and did the combination perfectly, or at least what an eleven year old thinks is perfect. At the end of the class the teacher smiled at me and said I did well. Two weeks later I got a later form the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory saying I got in. I was super proud and being my oblivious self, I thought I was the best eleven year old dancer in the