BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
For almost seven years, ballet went as planned for Rosy Odum.
She put in her time, went to practice and played her role in the Champaign-Urbana Ballet Academy’s performances.
But the 13-year-old Mahomet-Seymour Junior High student learned a lesson last spring: life doesn’t always go as planned.
Two weeks before the C-U Ballet’s May performance of Swan Lake, Rosy fell off her bike and broke her arm.
“We started rehearsing for Swan Lake in January,” Rosy said. “I was very sad and disappointed about not performing, I did not want to let down the other members of the Company.”
Rosy quickly learned that the cast on her arm would prevent her from fulfilling her place on stage.
“That was definitely hard!” she said.
“My family and the Company members were so supportive and understanding. They all signed my cast. I still went to practice and rehearsals, so I felt like I was part of the performance and it gave me a different perspective when I got to sit as an audience member for the first time.”
Rosy had been performing since she was six-years-old. Her Great Aunt Jeani, who was also a dancer, encouraged Julie, Rosy’s mom, to enroll her in a ballet program because of the structure and repetitive nature of ballet.
“Dance has given me an opportunity to better understand myself and my (Autism Spectrum Disorder) ASD; the consistency helps me clear my mind when I feel stressed and overwhelmed, plus I stay physically fit and have made really good friends,” Rosy said.
Through sitting out the C-U Ballet’s spring production, Rosy was able to see a different side of the ballet.
“When you’re dancing, you don’t always notice everything else that goes into it. I knew that I had a long healing process so it was fun to be involved in other ways,” she said.
“We all work so hard as dancers to perform but everyone in the production does as well from building sets, to stuffing envelopes to designing/sewing costumes up to the very last minute. It takes everyone to make it a success, and lots of organization.”
Rosy got her cast off in July, and was ready to do the extra work to still be at the same level as her peers.
“Ballet constantly pushes you physically and emotionally,” she said. “It makes you a hard worker and teaches you how to comprise with peers and with your body as you push physical limits.”
As part of the Company, Rosy puts in upwards of 20-25 hours per week in the studio, participating in class or rehearsing for the Nutcracker.
“It takes a lot of effort and good snacks to keep your energy up,” she said.
“Many dancers do their homework between classes and rehearsals at the studio since we often get home on the later side. I’m also lucky to have really supportive teachers that are understanding of my schedule, especially during a performance week.”
But that hard work and dedication, the will to make adjustments as life threw a curveball her way, has taught the young dancer a few lessons that will follow her through life.
“It’s taught me the benefit of hard work, it’s taught me that I’m strong mentally and physically, it’s taught me that I’m flexible but also that I can be emotionally flexible as this is something I often struggle with having ASD,” she said. “It’s taught me that I can be a really good friend and that I can have really good friends. We are a family and we all care for one another.”
While the show brings the cast, crew and volunteers together to dazzle an audience, the little behind-the-scenes traditions are what makes the weekend magical for Rosy.
The week before the Thursday opening is known as Tech Week; cast, crew and volunteers put in long hours to ensure that everything is well-organized and running to perfection.
To give the routine of each night a little sparkle, The Nutcracker members exchange Secret Santa gifts.
“So each night we get to share a little gift like candy with one another,” she said.
The Nutcracker opens Thursday (Dec. 5) at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts with additional shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Rosy will be performing in six supporting roles, the most she has ever done.
“I will be dancing in Act I: The Party as a Party Mother, The Battle as part of the Cavalry, The Land of Snow as a snowflake, Act II: The Land of the Sweets as a Lemonade Sprite, Arabian Harem and as a Flower in Waltz of Flowers,” she said.
But any dancer knows not to wish another dancer good luck. Instead, before they go on stage, they say “Merde,” which loosely means “poop.”
“This sounds strange but goes back a long time ago to the Paris ballet when horse-drawn carriages would pull up in front of the ballet opera,” Rosy said.
“A lot of horse poop in front of the opera would mean a full house. Saying “Merde” became a way to tell your fellow dancers to have a good show for a full audience.
“It’s just one of the things we do to have fun and calm our nerves before the show.”
