The Alana Haines Awards Experience

Waiting to be called backstage

This Easter weekend, the St James Theatre played host to the Alana Haines Australasian Awards 2013.
Salem had a blast and meet so many other dancers, both boys and girls from all over New Zealand and Austraila.
He really enjoyed meeting up with other boy ballet dancers.
He has made a few friends.

The waistcoat I had just made

Basically at the last minute we had to change his costume as his dance teacher thought he had better wear his black tights instead of his white ones and to change his shirt.
The black tights did not look as good with the green waistcoat I had made.
Luckily I had just made a new waistcoat for him out of a huge size 2XL waistcoat I had bought from the op-shop for $1.  The op-shop bargin had such great fabric which I thought would look great on Salem.
I did a bit of lacing up the back to look a bit more interesting.

The back view and the sleeves before I changed them

I didn't really have another type of shirt for him, so I re-arranged an old satin shirt of mine and changed the sleeves to have a bit of a frill around the wrists.
I think the costume looked okay but it wasn't as nice as the other which we had based on the RNZB's recent production of Giselle.

Having a rest at The Jimmy (St James Theatre)

On the Thursday night we had to be at the St James for Salem to do a 30 min class.
It was a very hot and humid night and all the young dancers really made the studio very, very hot.
I was up there for a little bit and was glad that I could go back downstairs into the cooler temperature at the Jimmy.
Salem said the class was over quickly.
He was the oldest in the group so had to be at the back but he is quite short so couldn't see everything that was being taught.  But soon picked up everything.  He did fine.

With fellow Junior competitors

On Friday, the Junior Scholars got to perform.
He was in the second group which started performing at 5pm.
We made our way to the boys dressing room and I helped him on with his costume and make-up.
He chatted to the other boys.
A real friendly bunch.
While waiting to be called backstage, the kids were all chatting and laughing at each others accents.
I watched Salem dance on the moniter with Lindsay.
Salem danced really well and made full use of the large stage.  He knows that stage very well.
He was very excited when he got back to the dressing room.

On Saturday we came back to the St James so Salem could watch the older dancers, especially the boys.
He was so impressed by them.
He would run up the stairs to the dress circle, watch some of the boys, run back downstairs to tell me all about it, then run back upstairs to catch the next let of boys.
I don't know where he got all the energy from as he did that so many times.
We left a little while after the Junior Scholars semi and quarter finalists were posted up.  We didn't want to be too late back out to Kapiti.  The public transport isn't the greatest on public holidays.
Salem would have loved to stay longer to watch more of the older boys.
Salem didn't get placed but he just loved the whole experience and can't wait for the next AHA Awards in 2015.
http://www.ahaawards.co.nz/

Wednesday Night Performance and Another Pot of Tea

Outside the St James Theatre

Ballet Diaries - Cinderella
By Salem
Wednesday Night 8th August 2012
Another Performance and another trip into town.  Yet another pot of tea at the Jimmy, then a quick dinner.  We have been drinking soooo much tea, it feels like I have tea sloshing around in my stomach when I walk.

Fixing up make-up

Mum put my make-up on me up in the dressing room.  I really must learn to put on my own make-up so I have been watching what Mum does and what she uses on me.  
After Mum left, me and Daniel played Top Trumps and then did some more origami.
Then we played with normal cards and played Last Card.

Cinderella

We went back-stage when we thought it was about time to go down.  I had another chat with Jonte then I got ready for my cart duties.
It all went well as usual.  Then up to the dressing room for a quick change.
The show wasn't quite running to time so we couldn't get the earlier train so we waited for a bit at the St James.  During the second intermission I saw my friend Bethany who is in my ballet class.  We had a chat and she wanted me to autograph her program.  That was cool.

Roses

We got home at midnight as we had to wait well over half an hour for a taxi home from the railway station.
I went straight to sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Two Performances in One Day

Ballet Diaries - Cinderella
By Salem
Two Performances in One Day 4th August 2012
After the Master Class this morning we had a bit of a relax, then we got bored so we went over to Te Papa (the National Museum).  It was good to go there again as we hadn't been there for a while and some of the exhibits had been changed and there was some new ones too.

At Te Papa

Then it was time to get ready for the afternoon matinee.  Mum did my make-up in the dressing room for a change and I just waited around in my waistcoat, not my full jacket, because the dressing room was so hot.

Daniel was well enough to do the show today which was good.

We didn't do much while we were waiting in the dressing room.  I was so hot that I kept going out into the hallway and fanned myself with my program.  It was a good way to get more autographs when the dancers came past.  I even got Gillian Murphy's autograph this time.

My performance went well, I got to all my marks on stage.  Still haven't dropped my oranges.
Afterwards I quickly got dressed and met Mum downstairs and we had yet another pot of tea at the Jimmy.
We went to Arthur's cafe to have dinner between shows.  We shared some fish fingers and fried potatoes with some yummy ginger beer to wash it down.  We were all "tea-ed" out.
Back to the St James again and we got one of the cast lists for the next performance and it had Nicholas' name on it instead of Daniels but it turned out to be a mistake thank goodness.  We thought he might have been sick again.
I got back into my costume and fixed up my make-up.  Me and Daniel did some origami. We made paper planes and Daniel started teaching me how to make a star but then we thought it was time to go downstairs to go backstage.

First we waited around a bit until I went over to see Jonte and he asked me to sit with him.  We had a bit of a chat about the ballet.  Then Rory told me it was time to get ready and man my cart.  It was another fun performance.
I quickly got changed as soon as I had finished and me and Mum had just enough time to get a taxi to the Railway Station to get the earlier train.  We were able to get home an hour earlier than usual.  I was very, very tired.

Cinderella Opening Night

Salem and Qi Huan

Ballet Diaries - Cinderella
By Salem
Opening Night  2nd August 2012
It was opening night tonight and I was very excited.  When we arrived at the St James we had some hot drinks at the Jimmy.  I had a hot chocolate.  Mum did my make-up while we were there.
I grabbed a cast list and was surprised to see that Nicholas' name was there instead of Daniel's.  It turned out that Daniel was sick so Nicholas was his replacement.
We went up to the dressing room and I got into my costume.  Then I went around and got some of the dancers autographs in my Cinderella Program.  I will get all the others over the next few nights that I am performing.
Nicholas arrived after Mum left and he took a while to get ready and only got into his full costume in the nick of time.

We went backstage at the start of Act 2.  Jonte (Sir Jon Trimmer) waved hello to me and I saw one of the stage hands knitting.  It was funny to see that.
I walked out onto the stage with my cart but didn't quite make my mark 100% perfectly but it didn't really matter because everything went well anyway.  I gave out my oranges, smiled a lot then walked off the stage with my cart when I was supposed to.  I was pleased with myself.

We went back upstairs to the dressing room and quickly got changed then I went back downstairs to sign out and see Lindsay.  Lindsay took me through the back way into the St James and met up with Mum.  Then we started on our long journey home.  It was a good night.
I can't wait until my next performances, I'm doing two on Saturday.

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!!!!!!