It's an easy thing to say that ballet dancers obsess over their casting. Careers can be made and friendships destroyed over what roles we get to dance in upcoming performances. That means that waiting to find what our casting is can make us go a little bit crazy. Here are 19 things all dancers do while waiting for casting to come out.
1. Second-guess everything they did in the audition
2. Push themselves to the front for every combination in the days after the audition in hopes the choreographer will somehow give them great casting based on a random tendu combination that has nothing to do with the show.
3. Have this conversation: "I don't care about casting, but... *shit talks everything and everyone in the ballet universe* but like I said, I don't care."
4. Call their moms to tell them how much they actually do care.
5. Wake up in the middle of the night in a panicked sweat after dreaming they were cast as a tree.
6. Practice their fake smile so they can look gracious and unaffected the day the cast list comes out.
7. Say they don't want to talk about casting, but joins in the conversation anyway.
8. Rotate between phrases "This is just a formality, they already know who it's gonna be," "Every day is an audition," and "It's all bullshit."
9. Threaten to quit if given "bad" casting.
10. Actually laugh at choreographers' terrible jokes in class to kiss ass.
11. Almost throw up every time they check their email and see an email from the director, but it's actually just reprimanding everyone for wearing their tights over instead of casting.
12. Say "I don't even want casting to come out" while eagerly standing outside the director's office to see if he/she just so happens to be posting it at that exact moment in time.
13. Harass the administrative staff to see if they have a copy of it they might give to you "accidentally."
14. Spread rumors like "________ said casting is coming out on Thursday" to put everyone on edge on Thursday.
15. Question and over-question and analyze and overanalyze and dissect those who were given call backs like they're a damn scientist searching for the cure for cancer.
16. Make bets with their friends about who will be cast as what.
17. Make a drinking game out of how long it will take before casting goes out.
18. Stress eat and then feel guilty because they "don't deserve good casting" for "being fat."
19. Eventually get over obsessing about casting and finally move on with life. And that's usually when casting is posted.