Full Dress Rehearsal - Giselle

In my peasant costume

Ballet Diaries - Giselle
By Salem

The Full Dress Rehearsal  6th November 2012

Tonight was the Full Dress Rehearsal!!!!
Mum came up to the dressing room with me and put my make-up on me after I had put on my costume.
I was sooo excited!!!!!!
I share my dressing room with two adult men extras, Nigel Boyes and Thomas Drent, so when Thomas arrived Mum left to go and watch the performance in the theatre.

With the men's peasant costumes

After Mum left, I looked out the window that overlooks the car park and saw Daniel get out of his mum's car.  He came up to the dressing room and he had all his make-up on.
I told him that it wasn't his night for performing, so he left.

I had a bit of a chat with the guys in my dressing room.  Thomas said that he thought he looked like a Mexican in his costume.

My dressing room

Then my "Mother" asked if I wanted to go and join her and the girls (Paris and Jaida) in their dressing room, so I went and joined them.
We took some photos of each other and had a bit of a rehearsal.
Then it was time to go downstairs backstage to wait for our turn on stage.

Me in the audience to watch Act Two

Miriam came and told us that it was time to go on stage and our performance began.
I had lots of fun and it was so cool having a full audience watching us.
It was over too quickly, I wanted to stay on for longer.

I quickly went upstairs and got changed into my normal clothes then went downstairs and chatted to Lindsay until Mum came to pick me up at intermission.
She took me to sit in the audience so I could watch Act Two.

The curtain before Act Two

It was so cool and I loved the graveyard scene.  There was mist everywhere.
The Wilis danced beautifully sending me into a trance.
It is such a sad story!!!!!
Giselle (Antonia Hewitt) was so lovely as a ghost, she was so sad.
Andrew Bowan"s (Albrecht) dancing was so amazing when the Wilis tried to make him dance to his death.
His Entrechat really blew me away.
I hope that I will dance like Andrew when I am older.

I am so lucky that I got to perform with this cast, and to watch it too!!!!

Can't wait for my next performance on Thursday night!!!!!

Full Dress Rehearsal

Ballet Diaries - Cinderella
By Salem
Full Dress Rehearsal  1st August 2012
Tonight was the full dress rehearsal.  This was the big final rehearsal before Opening Night tomorrow.  The theatre is full of people so we are actually rehearsing with a full audience.
Mum got me ready with my make-up before we arrived, she did it down in the Jimmy Restaurant/Cafe downstairs at the St James.  No one noticed us doing it.
We went up to the dressing room and my hat had been moved.  I got into my costume and it looked so cool.  After I was all organised, Mum went out to go into the theatre so she could watch the show.

Daniel kept on talking while we were waiting and he had to go back downstairs because he forgot to sign in.
Just after that, Talia, the reporter from The Kapiti Observer arrived with a photographer and Andrea, the publicity person for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.  Talia asked me lots of questions.  Daniel had to wait over by the corner of the dressing room while I was being interviewed but came and had some photos taken with me.
Later one of the male dancers took us down to the auditorium so that we could watch the rest of the first act.  I loved watching the ballet!!!!!!!
we were taken back to the dressing room at interval time and we had to put buckles on our shoes.
we waited around in the dressing room until we were taken backstage ready for our turn.
There was a photographer backstage taking photos of the dancers, me included.

I walked on stage pulling my cart behind me.  I felt really excited and happy.  I handed out my oranges and the stage lights were so bright that I could not see any of the audience.
It was so much fun but it didn't last long enough.  Backstage the dancers said "good job".
We went back to the dressing rooms and quickly got changed.  I had a peek at the other side of the dressing room, there was a wall between our part and some of the other dancers, and had a look at all the costumes.  It was amazing!!!!  It looked like a jungle of costumes, suitcases and make-up.
I headed off down stairs and waited with Lindsay, the theatre door man, until Mum picked me up so I could watch the last act with Mum in the audience.  Lindsay let us go in the back entrance into the St James.  We sat with Byron and his mum.
It was a great show!!!!!!