The Young & the Graceful
Since she first saw “Swan Lake” as a young child, Anna Chang has dreamed of being the ballerina in the spotlight.
After five years of hard work, Chang got her shot Sunday to prove she had the talent to dance with the best--the School of American Ballet in New York City.
Jittery, Chang peered through a window at her competitors. Mirror images of one another in black leotards and white tights, dozens of young dancers glided and pirouetted their way through auditions.
“I’m scared,” said Chang, 15, of La Palma. “Everyone looks so good.”
Critically surveying the dancers’ every move, Susan Hendl, principal auditioner for the renowned dance school, explained that what she is searching for is a graceful form, meticulously arched feet and that indefinable quality called talent.
“You see a lot of kids who are there because their parents want them to do it. But you look for the ones who have a real passion for it,” she said. “You can tell right away.”
The Jimmie Defore Dance Center in Costa Mesa was one of several West Coast stops by the school during a 25-city, two-month tour. Some 2,000 youngsters between the ages of 12 and 18 are auditioning for 200 spots in the school’s summer program in New York.
Founded in 1934 by legendary choreographer George Balanchine, the school is famous for having the best classical ballet curriculum in the nation. A spot in the school’s summer program often means classes with some of the dance world’s luminaries: New York City Ballet’s Peter Martins and Darci Kistler. And if a student excels, she, or he, may be asked to join the school full time.
“I’ve auditioned for the Pacific Northwest and Boston [ballet programs], but this is my dream school,” Bonnie Crotzer, 14, of Santa Barbara said as she sank into her warmup splits.
“This is the only thing I want to do when I grow up. My mom took me to see the ‘Nutcracker’ when I was a young, and I begged and begged for classes, but she wouldn’t let me start until I was 4,” she said.
Parents, some driving from as far away as San Diego, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara, appeared every bit as nervous as their daughters, peeking anxiously through the window as the auditions got underway.
“It’s funny. Sometimes, I feel more nervous than they do,” said James Redmond of Highland as he watched his two daughters, Sharise and Cynthia. “But then you think: They know what they’re doing. They do enjoy performing. They just need you there for moral support.”
Of course, if the girls do get chosen, it becomes a different kind of anxiety, said Deborah Flores, of Brea, with a sigh.
“Getting to dance in New York would be a dream come true,” but you need to think about finances, she said.
If her daughter Victoria, 12, does make it through tryouts, the dream won’t come cheap. Tuition is $750 for the five-week program. Room and board bring the cost to $1,285. In addition, Flores said, she knows that making it professionally is difficult.
“You want her to succeed. But as a parent, you’re kind of ambivalent about whether to push them to compete in this world,” she said.
“Watching her gives me memories of trying out for the Bolshoi Ballet,” Flores said. “I was a dance major in college. Then reality hit, and I decided to became a physical therapist. We’ll let this play itself out. She’ll be whatever she wants to be.”