1. Journals Erin Donnelly Self-Designed Honors Experience Dayton Ballet’s The Nutcracker November 7 – December 23, 2015

2. Introduction In the following journal entries, I will be recording my observations about the different age levels in the rehearsal and performance processes. The point of this reflection is to examine the expectations for dancers of different ages, whether or not they met these expectations, and how I behaved in the past when I began as a young dancer to where I am today as a paid guest. This PowerPoint contains only the thoughts I had, isolated from the analyses I completed later. See my reflection for these analyses.

3. Groups I Focused On Children Ages 6-9 Young party children, mice/rats, soldiers, angels/attendants, lambs Junior Company Ages 10-13 Clara, Fritz, party children, mother ginger Senior Company Ages 14-18 Snow, angle fairies, Chinese, Russian, flowers CCM Dancers – hired from CCM for individual seasons of The Nutcracker Ages 18-22 Snow, marzipan, flowers Company Ages 19-35 Uncle Drosselmeyer, the Nutcracker, Rat King, Snow, sugar Plum, all divertissements, Dew Drop, flowers, and more

4. My Past Roles YearAgeRoleGroup 20036Mouse Children 20047Mouse 20058Young party girl 20069Young party girl, soldier 200710Soldier, mother ginger Junior Company 200811Party boy, mother ginger 200912Clara, mother ginger 201013Clara, mother ginger 201114Angel fairy, Chinese Senior Company 201215Snow, flowers 201316Snow, flowers 201417Snow, marzipan, flowers 201518Snow, marzipan, flowers CCM

5. Note: Two Versions One important thing to take note of is that in 2013, the Dayton Ballet re-choreographed The Nutcracker as they do every ten years. At that time, some of the roles chanced. There were no longer mice, and the rats were played by children. Younger children were cast in the party scene. The angel fairies were removed, Senior Company-aged dancers were added to Russian, and the angels became attendants. There will be times when I make comparisons between new roles and roles that no longer exist because of the age groups each fell into.

6. November Today was my first day downtown. I was not nervous at all because I have been doing this for years, but there is a certain excitement that comes with “graduating” to a new level. I will be around many of the same people as I did last year, except I now have some new privileges as well as some new responsibilities. No longer being required to follow the school’s rules regarding dress code means I can wear what I want that is within reason during class. An unspoken ballet etiquette rule says that I can involve myself with the company more in classes, meaning I can stand nearer to them at barre if there is an open spot, and I can go with them across the floor in center instead of waiting until the end with the school’s students. Responsibilities, however, mainly fall under the category of leadership that I will be observing during this experience. These include upholding behavioral standards and respecting all involved in the production, acting as both a role model for the younger dancers as well as a cooperative team member for the ballet. I look forward to examining these connections between age levels as the rehearsal process continues.

7. November Today was my first rehearsal this year with the youngest age group of children. The lambs came into our marzipan rehearsal so we could get used to their positioning on stage and they could see their queues from their “lamby mommies.” This was the first time I got see really see an interaction between the extremes of the categories: the children as lambs and the CCM and Company members as the shepardesses.

8. November After running the party scene, the instructor who manages the children gathered them to the front of the room and asked them if they were having fun. Having been the shoes of an aspiring ballerina in elementary school, I know how exciting it can be to rehearse with a professional ballet company for an iconic ballet such as The Nutcracker, so while the kids were timid, I knew of their unvoiced excitement. The instructor went on say that they should channel their excitement into their movement. As children of the party scene, they should be animated and energized while performing their role, instead of standing relatively still without acting at all. She called out one of the two Clara’s, explaining how she was the perfect example of having a captivating stage presence so that the audience wants to watch her without getting bored quickly.

9. December The inevitable happened today as the children waiting for their turn to dance would not quiet down. No matter who was telling them to mind their volume, whether it was a teacher or a senior company member that they knew held authority in relation to them, they did not understand the importance of staying quiet so the rehearsals in other studios could function well. This was completely expected from me. I remember being scolded for being too noisy when I was a child. This is the kind of thing that I just have to smile and shake my head at, for I am all to familiar with how fun it is to be surrounded by friends, waiting in excitement for my turn in rehearsal.

10. December Today, the girl scheduled to dance as Clara was feeling very ill. It was suspected that she was having a reaction due to a food allergy, and she did not feel well enough to perform. Her counter part, who was expecting to dance in mother ginger, was suddenly thrust into a different role. She ended up going on stage for the first act, but she was well-prepared and composed, differing from her usual performance only by the fact that her hair was not curled as Clara’s usually was. During act two, the original Clara went on stage while her cover stayed in costume and waited in the wings in case she needed to switch. This was complicated further because there was now a vacated spot in the mother ginger dance. One of the youngest senior company members who has small enough to fit into a mother ginger costume and who had also done the same dance only a year earlier was chosen to learn the empty spot and perform it as if she had been rehearsing it for months, only in a matter of hours. She was up to the task and stepped in without question, and she did exactly what she was supposed to do: blend in and dance as if she’d been prepared to do so through the entire rehearsal process.