I’ve talked before about the process of casting and all the components that go into it. Directors have to consider the ability of all of the individual dancers in the company separately and then as a whole in order to figure out how to best distribute the parts. Casting is very particular, and many people never progress past a certain level because they lack certain things that are necessary for soloist casting at a professional level.

Our director has an additional level of difficulty when casting, in that he wants to use our parts to help us improve. He wants us to be challenged and learn from the experience, so he often gives us parts that help us focus on one specific aspect of something we struggle with.

This year, I was cast as Rose, which is essentially the lead in the flowers scene. Our director has said before that rose is “the hardest part in the entire ballet,” which was more than a little intimidating and definitely made me question why I was given the part. Aside from one of last year’s seniors who is still with the company, I am the oldest senior company member, which may explain some of the reasoning. However, I am far from the strongest or most skilled dancer, which has led me to question my position. The first couple rehearsals seemed to reflect that, with me falling a lot and not being able to complete some of the steps. Over time, though, I have begun to feel myself improve. After a lot of practice, the more challenging steps (pas de bourre en tournant into fouettes being a main issue) have become easier. Still not perfect, but it’s getting much closer. I can’t say I’m falling down less (it’s a bit of a running joke around the studio that I fall over all the time), but I am falling in different ways and for different reasons, which signals improvement, or at least change. Hopefully I will continue to grow so I can truly give my best in the show, which is now just over a month away.