Auditions

Audition Season has started. 
Generally this means visiting dance companies come to our area, and my daughter goes off and takes a "master class" by various dance schools.  Where upon you wait and about 4 weeks later learn which schools have accepted you, and you make the decision of which school you will go to during the summer.  These sessions usually last 4-6 weeks and are intense dance sessions of 6-8 hours of dance- at least the schools my daughter has gone too. 
This year the twist is that she's auditioning for college dance programs, and not ONE of the selected schools is coming to or nearby our fair city.  So I put her on a plane this afternoon to go to Southern California, stay with my longest friend -we've know each other since we were 4 & 5, and she will be auditioning for a two schools down there.  One is a New York School doing national auditions- I'm so glad, as another ticket across the country is too costly.  The other a southern cal school. 
She is nervous, which is to be expected, and then after landing she called and said "It's very weird here, its dark and gray and it seems so out of place with Palm Trees."  Yes its storming there, and I sent her from the stormy northwest to stormy  Southern Cali, which is pretty rare.
This is just the first in a series of trips.  She has two more planned for sure, and is hoping we can swing a European trip for her.  That's still in debate.  We haven't said NO or Yes at this time.  This trip is certainly a learning curve trip.  She has traveled alone before, but always with help along the way checking in at the airports etc.  This time its pretty much a drop off and fly situation, figure out all by your self how to do those things.  By yourself everything seems a little more intimidating and frightening.  But the life of a dancer often involves travel, and not under the best circumstances so this is good training.
And the waiting starts.  Some schools are pretty straightforward, if we don't interview you, you may assume we are no longer interested.  Others don't have that stipulation.  Some college BFA dance programs only accept 25 students a year.  oh yeah there is some competition out there.  argh.
Trev