Audition results: the good, the sad, and the impossible

We’ve wrapped up the 2026 summer audition season, and what should have been short and sweet became a long and interesting road. Funny, every year I think I’ve got it mapped out so I’m not spending every weekend in a car (or on a plane!), and yet this year had so many last-minute travel logistics to figure out. Contrary to belief, I’m not on vacation 90% of the time when it comes to ballet. Moms work so hard….especially when your dancer cannot drive.

We’ve already covered the NBS audition experience, and I don’t even know if we can count that as a rejection because Stella had already decided it wasn’t the place for her, so we’ll file it under the ‘mutual agreement’ category.

So all in all, the ‘accepted’ category for summer is 100% for the year. This includes SAB (and a scholarship!), MCBS, PNB, HBA, KCBS (another scholarship!), CPYB, and the School of Carolina Ballet. Of course, if you’re reading this, you already know which one was selected the minute the letter came in….SAB.

NYC and Balanchine have my dancer’s heart. The scholarship was just the cherry on top. What joy to be returning to the special place you love so much.

Most HBA dancers stay at HBA for the summer as it’s encouraged, but not mandatory. She was worried about this, but ultimately the conversation was had about, ‘would there be regrets if you passed on the very thing you miss the most?’ I should also add that SAB wasn’t on her list for auditions this year. When we discussed overall audition plans, she seemed unsure….I think it was a fear of rejection for a second year and never returning. I sent in her video as a ‘well, if it is a NO, I’ll know don’t even bring it up again next year.’

Very glad I took that shot in the dark for her. My gut said, ‘Do it scared.’

Now, here’s where the plans get interesting. Back to that weekend in January when we squeaked in a trip to Boston. At the beginning of January, I got an email I thought was spam, but it was the real deal: Stella was invited back to Boston Ballet School’s auditions at its campus at Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Last year, she was invited to audition, and it was her first experience at a second/final round audition. I think the nerves set in, as well as the, ‘who would want a little dancer from Louisiana?’ It wasn’t a great audition, but it was a great learning experience on how you never want to feel in that process again.

So here was a boomerang. Boston specifically asked for her to come back, even though we did not reapply. So, we figured it out on the fringe of a winter storm. The audition was redeeming and resulted in an offer and a merit scholarship. HOW AMAZING, RIGHT?! The campus has a boarding facility, so it alleviates all the worries about what we do to ensure she is in housing that is safe and meets her needs as a teen away from parents.

But, in the end, we have to decline the offer, which really sucks. It’s just too much of a stretch financially, even with a merit scholarship. It’s really a cool place, and a lot has been put into the program to give kids the high school experience while focusing on their art. The thing she is taking away here is the validation that her old thinking is not true: someone does want a little dancer from Louisiana. My parental takeaway is that there are people in this process who want to help make a way for your child and genuinely care, and to thank them for their help and trust that the right thing is coming, even if it’s not immediate.

So, with two boarding-included programs now off the table, we have offers from CPYB, KCBS, and Carolina Ballet for year-round options besides another year at HBA (we do not know placement for next year, so we are keeping options open if our commuting/apartment arrangements no longer fit our family). I really hate the ‘all you need is one yes,’ mentality. No, we need a Yes with a few more factors….at least until she’s driving!

The discussion of what’s going to be plan B has come up, and one of those options includes coming home, but not for a negative reason. For the above reason: learning to drive. More doors can open for program options if she were to end up in an independent housing situation in a city that’s not pedestrian/safe transit-friendly if she can drive. It’s a plan B that requires a lot more coordination on our part, but everything is figure-outable. A lot of training ideas/options have come to us now that we know what is necessary if you’re building out pre-professional training on your own. It’s also the part where I start to have a genuine distaste in my mouth for how few options there are in our region and, more specifically, our state. Ballet is convoluted and annoying, but we care enough to navigate the choppy seas.

I see a lot of dancers at this time of year who are past the pre-professional years on company auditions, only to be left with offers without pay, or nothing at all. It’s frustrating, especially when you’re young and making sacrifices that friends at traditional school aren’t asked to make. Does that make the Timothee Chalamets of the world right about ballet and opera? No. But how do we get others to care more about ballet so the tickets are just as popular as an SEC team or a Lady Gaga tour ticket? I don’t know. However, it starts with supporting artists on their journey and acknowledging what guts it takes to put yourself out there, audition after audition. And buy the damn ticket to the Nutcracker at minimum….you would also love a ballet you’ve never heard of because I have been to PLENTY and loved them. Quiet time where your brain has to think and soak in the story and emotion on stage….please, let it whisk you away and enjoy something non-digital.

This might have been an excellent year for Stella, but nothing is ever promised. A yes one year does not equal a yes the following. Something more parents (in any discipline) should be discussing with their children. A no isn’t always a never, but maybe a guide on taking action over the next year on what you want to do differently next time to hopefully yield different results in front of a group of subjective adjudicators.

To any of my cheer/dance team moms out there approaching tryouts, stay strong and encourage community over competition. They need each other. It is an art to be happy for someone and sad for yourself at the same time. And to the girl who doesn’t get the yes, do not give up….find your redirection in that rejection.