I know EXACTLY how that feels. Last year, for Nutcracker, I got the parts of; a party boy (in the opening scene, I'm a girl), a mouse/rat (all the girls in that scene were like 2 levels below me), and a Russian (again, the girls in that scene were 2 levels below me). I also got the part of a bonbon (a girl under Mother Ginger's skirt), which I was really happy about, until it got taken from me because of "costume issues" (the girl who got that part when I lost it was the same height, weight and shape of me). I ended up quitting, because it was making me more miserable than happy (and not to mention embarrassed- who wants to be a boy and do scenes with people way below our level?), but it also made me not want to try out this year, but I think I've changed my mind

*bows down to poster* Thank you! Thank you! This is definitely going to help me! Thank you!

I agree, don't start crying in public, but I think it's definitely okay to cry when you're back home.

The worst experience I think I ever had, was my first experience...
I remember when I auditioned for "Clara" or "Marie" in the Nutcracker, and I didn't get the part. I was 10, and for some reason, I was so obsessed with that role, I had dreamed about it for months, maybe even a year before the actual auditions.

I messed up the first try and I was allowed to audition a second time. I could tell it wasn't perfect, but I still kept hoping and hoping. Anyway, when the judges were going to tell us who got the part, they went through a rundown of each person that auditioned and told them what they liked/didn't like about their performance. When they came to me, they told me something that they didn't tell anybody else. They said (in not the nicest way) that I "didn't have enough confidence" for the part, or to dance at all, that I looked too nervous, and I was seriously on the verge of breaking down. I felt so bad! Everybody else was corrected on something in the way the danced during part of the audition, but I was just left with complete discouragement. I remember my mom came and picked me up after that, and she saw me looking so upset. She thought that I was going to quit (I was only 10 at the time) and I was like "NO WAY!!" but I still had to go through a crying mode. But I didn't end up getting a party girl part and a polichinelle, and learned a lot though. Ever since then, I haven't cared about being in a main role. Now all I seriously care about is dancing, and I don't really even care which role I get. =)

I liked the part "There's always next year." It's not the end of the world because you didn't get the part that day. Over time, with practice and dedication, you'll try the part again, and maybe this time you'll get it!

After two rehearsals, I just quit my part because I had way too many issues with it and didn't like the choreography and felt overall neglected by the company. I am an adult and it was too hard for me to no intellectualize the implications of the casting. I won't get into it.

I'm not proud of what I did, and I know it will probably tarnish my image, but I just couldn't deal with the stress of what was going on. I'm sorry. I'm more apologizing to myself than anyone else, because I've let myself down. But I still think that might have been better than dealing with the situation I was in.

I even just cried my eyes out in an unintelligible mess over the phone to the director, so that's great. She doesn't sound mad at me, but that's because I think she knows that there is more to it than just the disappointment of the casting and that I've got a lot going on in my life right now that is really stressing me out.

Either way, I'm seriously depressed right now.

Ouch. Hope you feel better.

SO true! I'll be sure to look at this next time I get a bad part!

In last year's Nutcracker, I got a part that I thought was going to be fun, as it used to be a really challenging dance. I was really excited. Then, I realized that they had put a LOT of people in that dance and that I was a lot older (and a few levels ahead) of most of the girls. There were three of us who were in that situation. The dance turned out to be REALLY EASY!!! The rehearsals were boring,too. Still, we did our best, helped the other girls, and the instructor recognized that. This year, I dance 2 hours more (a major casting factor) and skipped a level, so now I am en pointe. I hope I get a good role. Remember that even if you get an easy part, do your best on it and the instructor will notice. Also, a teacher once told us that a great dancer can make tondus look great, so we should work on perfecting our easy dance instead of thinking it was too easy.

Thank you so much for posting this. It can also be applied to when you get cut from a part that you have worked hard to achieve.
Your quotes at the end of the second part of this really made me cry too. I just decided to make dance my second major and I have pretty much no support from anyone. My teachers gave me no advice, my mom give me no support and my bf is only thinking that it's going to interfere with us making a family together in the future. So the quote that said "When no one believes in you, believe in yourself" made me cry when I read it. THANK YOU!
God Bless you.

Thank you so much you've made me feel so much better. The casting for the Nutcracker came out two days ago and the part that everyone thought I would get went to the favorite of the teacher and she cast me with someone who can't even get over the box of her pointe shoes!

i agree casting is always difficult, you should remember that you will never understand the mind of a director no matter how hard you try.