Washington Ballet Nutcracker

[Anonymous]

Why is party girl such a coveted role? Is it just because of the pretty dresses and hair? Don't other roles have more advanced choreography?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is party girl such a coveted role? Is it just because of the pretty dresses and hair? Don't other roles have more advanced choreography?

I was a ballet dancer many many years ago and party girl was always the most coveted role. I love that that seems to be a universal thing. I think it’s many, many things: the pretty costumes and hair, a more theatrical role, getting to dance with the older girls, and I think most of all, being on stage for a longgg time, especially when the other numbers are pretty short in the Nutcracker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is party girl such a coveted role? Is it just because of the pretty dresses and hair? Don't other roles have more advanced choreography?

Significant stage time, the costumes, and the dance is fun and the scene is iconic. Other roles do have more advanced choreography, like the Clowns, but those are after the kids have aged out of the Party Girl role. For the lower level, it seems like the role to work up to rather than the role you start at Level 1 and stick with until you're a Clown or a Butterfly. I tell my DD the role isn't rigged and maybe it's not, but whatever is happening, it's certainly isn't "fair."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is party girl such a coveted role? Is it just because of the pretty dresses and hair? Don't other roles have more advanced choreography?

I was a ballet dancer many many years ago and party girl was always the most coveted role. I love that that seems to be a universal thing. I think it’s many, many things: the pretty costumes and hair, a more theatrical role, getting to dance with the older girls, and I think most of all, being on stage for a longgg time, especially when the other numbers are pretty short in the Nutcracker.

Yes! I did 14 Nutcrackers from the time I was 5 to 18 and for a long time the Party Girl is the role to get. It feels like a Nutcracker rite of passage. Then you start casting your eyes on others as you get older, but pre-pointe years, it's what all the young dancers look forward to! Brings back so many great memories.

[Anonymous]

This was DD's last year/chance to be Party Girl and there were some tears. A good friend of hers got Party Girl this year for the second time. We might move to MYB after this year, their Nutcracker is much smaller but it's still a beautiful production and is more student focused.

[Anonymous]

That’s too bad PP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was DD's last year/chance to be Party Girl and there were some tears. A good friend of hers got Party Girl this year for the second time. We might move to MYB after this year, their Nutcracker is much smaller but it's still a beautiful production and is more student focused.

What is the last year to get Party Girl role? Level 2? Level 3?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was DD's last year/chance to be Party Girl and there were some tears. A good friend of hers got Party Girl this year for the second time. We might move to MYB after this year, their Nutcracker is much smaller but it's still a beautiful production and is more student focused.

What is the last year to get Party Girl role? Level 2? Level 3?

I don’t think there are any party girls after level three (at least the past few years).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was DD's last year/chance to be Party Girl and there were some tears. A good friend of hers got Party Girl this year for the second time. We might move to MYB after this year, their Nutcracker is much smaller but it's still a beautiful production and is more student focused.

What is the last year to get Party Girl role? Level 2? Level 3?

I don’t think there are any party girls after level three (at least the past few years).

Oh well my daughter has one more shot, although seeing how it's gone for others, I don't think it's much of a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is party girl such a coveted role? Is it just because of the pretty dresses and hair? Don't other roles have more advanced choreography?

Wondering the same thing!! Never struck me as THE role!

[Anonymous]

The choreography is more complicated for the younger aged children. There’s also more actual dancing in the role versus the other parts for levels 1-3. My daughter was a party girl for three years and then a clown. Most of her cast mates moved to clown. Costume sizing also dictates the role. And no, we are not donors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The choreography is more complicated for the younger aged children. There’s also more actual dancing in the role versus the other parts for levels 1-3. My daughter was a party girl for three years and then a clown. Most of her cast mates moved to clown. Costume sizing also dictates the role. And no, we are not donors.

I don't buy the sizing excuse. No kid is the same size for 3 years and there's a big variety in sizes for the Party Girl roles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's fair to call Julie's daughter rigging. She's the child of a professional ballerina and been around world class performances her entire life. I don't doubt she came into the school with a stronger baseline than the average child and it's also not fair to ask her, who is also just a child, to be a Snow Angel just so the other parents arent jealous of her. I don't think any of the kids see her that way, my daughter certainly doesn't.

Yes, just like how Tori Spelling made a fine Donna Martin. Everything you say is valid, and I don’t disagree. I have never had a firsthand issue with casting. Ever. But from an optics standpoint, it has a whiff of nepotism. Just saying.

I wonder what role she get this year....will probably be the year they open Clara up to the 13/14 year olds!

[Anonymous]

We were Snow angel, Soldier, virtual Soldier and Soldier again....I get that DD is just an average dancer....but the same boring role year after year gets old. None of the lower level parts require **that much** skill...the kids can all roughly pull off the same basic stuff. In the mean time, has anyone ever found a good makeup remover for that damn soldier face make up?

[Anonymous]

My DS dances at another studio and the main role they can get is Party Boy. Which, is pretty fun and good overall but I know DS wants to do something more challenging at some point.