Clubhouse Magazine

Ballet runs through her veins! And Renee Crous is making the most of her opportunities. Studying at The National Ballet School of Canada isn’t a simple task. First, she had to get in by beating out 1,000 other 10-year-olds wanting to attend the classical ballet program. Second, she had to move almost 2,000 miles away from home just to go to school.

“I’ve danced since I was 3,” Renee says. “And someday I’d like to be a principal dancer.”

Through faith and a lot of prayer, she’s jumped into one of the most intense dance schools in the world. Now she trusts God to lead her every step of the way.

And one, and two . . .
Thirteen girls with their hair in buns skip in a circle, then start waving their arms. Sound easy? Of course, but this is only the warm-up. Renee and her friends soon move to running on their toes (ouch!) and arching their backs into pretzel-like twists.

“The mat work, like stretching and breathing, I did at my old ballet studio,” Renee says. “But the other stuff is new. I have a lot of counting to do.”

Renee makes sure each body movement connects with a piece of music. Counting the beats helps her stay in touch with changes that occur during a piano piece.

Renee’s ballet classes emphasize concentration, correct ballet stance, basic dance movements and spatial awareness (that’s knowing how much space is between you and the edge of the stage). She also learns about music and the history of dance.

“I have lots of favorite parts of school,” Renee says with a smile. “I especially like the teachers.”

And she’s got plenty of them. Seven to be exact, but Renee spends most of her time with a ballet instructor and a homeroom teacher. The school day is pretty much sliced in half with academic studies in the morning and ballet filling the afternoon (see Renee’s Day at a Glance).

“My favorite subjects are math and spelling,” Renee says. “French is pretty hard here. I have to write an essay about myself in French.”

Besides studying, Renee has a different classroom job each day, “Crud Monitor” being one of the assignments. “I have to go around after class and point out to the other students where there’s trash,” Renee explains. “Then they have to clean it up.”

Livin’ the Life
Renee was accepted to The National Ballet School after two auditions, one in her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, and another month-long tryout at the school in Toronto, Ontario.

“I didn’t tell any of my school friends in Calgary about the auditions,” Renee says. “But when I knew I was actually accepted, I told my teacher and she told the whole class.”

Renee and approximately 100 other students moved to The National Ballet School in September 1998. “The first two weeks were hard to be away from home,” Renee says. “But now it’s okay.”

Her roommate, Kaylynn, who is in Grade 6 (one grade above Renee), knew her way around and introduced Renee to dorm life. The energetic pair have made their room a home. Choosing fun posters to hang and making the beds up with familiar sheets and blankets were the first added touches to an otherwise plain room. Every month they decorate their door to the hallway celebrating whatever holiday is next on the calendar. Besides Kaylynn, Renee has 20 other “sisters” who live on her floor. They all share the same bathroom and TV room.

Everyone eats in one common cafeteria, which separates the boys’ dorms from girls’. Of course, not all the students eat at the same time. It would be way too crowded and noisy! Renee’s menu includes great food such as pizza and tacos, and for dessert there’s always yogurt and fruit.

“Sometimes the chef will ask what we want for dinner,” Renee says. “Then he’ll make our favorite homemade dish. And each month, he makes a huge birthday cake for the entire school.”

Bravo!
Although Renee’s life at The National Ballet School started just last year, her passion for ballet began when she was very young. When Renee was two years old, her parents took her to see “The Nutcracker.” She danced around for months. Ballet had won her attention.

“I used to dance with the Jeunesse Classique Ballet Company,” Renee says. “My favorite parts were dancing as the sugarplum fairy toy in ‘The Nutcracker’ and being a waltzer in ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ ”

At Jeunesse’s dance studio, Renee’s instructor, Umran Sumen, encouraged the students to reach out to the community. Renee’s ballet troupe held an auction and performance to raise money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital. One of the most special times God has answered Renee’s prayers was when she asked famous Russian (now American) ballet dancer, Mikhail Baryshnikov, to send a pair of autographed slippers for the auction.

“I had been praying each night for the slippers,” Renee says. “When they arrived, I knew it was them.”

Besides raising money for worthy organizations, Renee has spent lots of time singing in the choir at Glenmore Christian Academy and studying devotionals with her mom. Now that she’s living apart from her family, all of those good times, including moments with grandparents, help her get through lonely days.

“I pray a lot and try to read the Bible,” Renee says. “But sometimes it’s really hard to be a Christian. My favorite Bible verse is John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ I like that verse, because it gives me comfort that Jesus loves me.”

In Toronto, Renee has a host family, the Becks. They make sure she has a ride to and from church each Sunday. Renee goes to Sunday school and sometimes eats lunch with the Beck family or other people from Grace Toronto Church. “I’m really glad I have a church to go to,” Renee says.

And who does Renee look up to besides world-renown Mikhail Baryshnikov and Canadian favorite Karen Kain? “King David,” Renee says. “He set lots of good examples for us, and he obeyed God. And I like his son Solomon, too. He was the wisest man ever.”

Now Renee is learning to obey God and make wise decisions on her own. Being 10 and away from home isn’t always easy, but she knows she’s not alone.

Home : Stories : Movie Reviews : Your Stuff : Recipes : Crafts : Clubhouse Jr.

FAQs : Store : family.org : whitsend.org