Annika 2017
2017 sure had It’s ups and downs. But, overall it’s been a truly magnificent year.
Just like it always does after Christmas break, the new year felt as busy as ever. With orchestra, ballet, friends and playing my violin downtown, everything was a lot.
The winter season is probably my busiest work season in downtown Mount Dora. Going into my fifth year playing downtown, I have become quite skilled in knowing what my customers like and what time of year to stay the most focused on. The snowbirds are always so gracious. I always feel so lucky that I have this gig to help pay for my ballet camp year after year.
Winter break is the busiest time downtown for me, and even though I'm on my feet for hours on end during the holiday season, my ballet body quickly falls out of shape. I have to do a quick 180 to get my body ready for auditions. Why is audition season right after break? That still baffles me!
This year my friend Meradith and I took a trip to Boca Raton for a three day weekend filled with auditions. That weekend I auditioned for San Francisco Ballet, Pittsburg Ballet and Ellison Ballet. Mr. Ellison himself conducted the audition for Ellison Ballet and he remembered me from the past summer so he used me for examples during the class. In the ballet world that’s a big honor, especially in an audition class.
After a somewhat successful weekend, I found out that I got accepted into both Ellison Ballet's and Pittsburg Ballet's professional training programs. I’m going to blame the fact that I didn’t get into San Francisco on being flustered from the three hour car ride! Their audition was immediately when I arrived so I didn't feel as prepared as I could have been for the unusually difficult audition class.
No worries though. I had already wanted to go to Ellison for a second year. I had such a wonderful experience in the previous summer and I felt like there was so much more to learn there, so I was thrilled that I was accepted again!
This spring I continued with orchestra and had auditions as I do every year to get a better seat. We had a wonderful spring concert and I learned that I went up multiple chairs for the next season.
Our spring ballet performance was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I got to be in a piece with custom brand new (expensive) costumes, a waltz piece where we were fortunate enough to have professional dancers from Orlando ballet partner a few of us, and lastly, a group piece where I was one of the soloists in a classical ballet that we happened to perform years ago when my sister Margo and I used to dance together. At the time, I was 10 she was 16. It was our first and only piece that we got to dance together. This time though, it was especially fun because now that I'm older, I got to do the more advanced parts.
School work is always the toughest for me to juggle now that I'm dual-enrolled at our local state college. Being homeschooled, I have always had the flexibility to do my work at any time and wherever. Adapting to stricter schedules and requirements has been challenging. In the spring, I took college math. I’d like to say that I love math, unfortunately math doesn’t love me so that always creates a struggle. I'm happy to say that I prevailed! I am grateful that I got a good teacher and had great classmates to help us get through the class.
The six weeks I spent this summer in New York City at Ellison Ballet felt a lot different than what I have been used to. It was a different level of excitement compared to last year because I knew what was going to happen. Although I knew the routine, I learned so much being in a higher level and enjoyed meeting new friends and having new experiences with them. I have never been to a summer intensive for two years in a row, so the first time feeling was replaced with a comforting feeling.
I had wonderful teachers for the first part of the summer Intensive. My ballet technique teacher was always very inspiring. She did not like average dancers so she always pushed us to our best. During partnering class I had Mr. Ellison as a teacher. We did his favorite partner piece from the ballet Don Quixote. It's a very enchanting and high-energy Bonnie and Clyde type dance. I had a lot of fun with it and Mr. Ellison apparently noticed so I was lucky to get his attention and corrections. In the ballet world, getting corrections is always a good thing. If you're not getting corrections, it isn't necessarily because you're doing everything perfectly. It's usually the opposite, or you're not inspiring interest from the teacher.
Mid-way through summer I experienced the best surprise ever! My boyfriend flew up to surprise me for the day! It was an incredibly sweet thing that he had kept hidden from me and planned with my parents with for months. I am truly a very lucky girl to have a best friend that would do that for me! :) (Click here to see the whole surprise as it happened.)
For the last part of the summer Margo and I went up to Wisconsin for a few days to see my dad‘s family. It was fun seeing them as I haven’t been to Wisconsin or seen some of them since I was about seven years old. I loved seeing the town where my dad grew up and meet some of the friends he grew up with. We got to tour the Green Bay Packer stadium, tour my aunt and uncle's farmer's market complete with canning and greenhouses, visit a dairy farm, go to the Wisconsin Dells, and travel to the beautiful peninsula of Door County. Best of all were the many laughs with my cousins.
This fall I've been back in swing with more college classes, orchestra rehearsals and performances, playing my violin downtown, plus ballet classes / rehearsals / performances six days a week. I also did multiple weddings and other gigs around town. It’s always nerve-wracking to step out of my comfort zone and do these side gigs, especially in a banquet hall full of people all staring at you for hours, but it has always turned out well and I've really enjoyed the experience!
For the Christmas season our ballet school performed our first full length version of The Nutcracker. Last year we did just the second act. That’s huge in our school! Living in a tiny town with an even smaller studio it is very hard to get the funds and all the students to pull this off. It is very exciting that for our premier full-length performance I got to be the Sugarplum Fairy! I was Sugar Plumb last year for our abbreviated performance, so coming back the second year with even more expanded roles, I was overjoyed!
This year's Sugar Plumb experience was very different than last year because I had a far more experience, yet had far fewer rehearsals with my partner than last year! I think we had a total of 4 rehearsals together! Yikes! He was even injured for some of them. But, I felt very prepared because my parents and I took a trip to Atlanta to have some private coaching and classes with a prima ballerina who specializes in lead roles. She has performed as Sugar Plumb all over the world! It was a very a stressful and information packed week, but with a lot learned, I hope my final performance reflected all the amazing corrections I received!
Looking back on the crazy Nutcracker weekend, followed by an awesome party my parents had for friends and family following the final performance, I'm still pinching myself with joy. I feel like our premier performance of The Nutcracker was a great success with so many amazing dancers and such a supportive community. I am honored to have been part of it all and will never forget it!
Well that’s pretty much my year! It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. With it being my senior year this year, I am very grateful for the life I’ve been able to live and the opportunities I’ve had. I am trying to cherish every moment and event that I have because I know it will be the last of my childhood. But as scary as it is to look toward the future, it’s exciting knowing that there’s more out there and I can add to my life.
I hope you all had a lovely 2017 and will have an even better 2018. Merry Christmas and happy new year!!
Keep up with me during the year at my blog: AnnikaValentine.com.
