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Ten times you danced.
Oct. 3rd, 2008 12:20 amI was a member of the American Ballet Theatre and I've danced with some of the modern greats. Maxim Beloserkovsky in La Sylphide, for one. Of course, he was the principle cavalier as James and I was only a sylph in the corps de ballet but we did share the stage and we did see each other at rehearsals. I might have even worked up the nerve to tell him how genuinely amazing he was.
That is my one claim to professional fame. La Sylphide. Being part of the corps for the entire performance and being able to use that experience to land an audition for Giselle. That audition was the last time I danced on stage at ABT. What I had convinced myself was only a pulled muscle turned out to be something far worse. The pain in my leg had been a stress fracture not musculature-related and I went down like a ton of bricks during a ballonné compose. The start and finish of my career as a dancer.
Of course, there are hundreds of times I danced before that. My classical training started at eight years of age and continued all through school. And I still dance, but now my audience is a lot smaller and I don't just mean the headcount. No, my little cavaliers (I have a grand total of two) and ballerinas are anywhere from five to twelve and pretty tiny. I call them my pixie parade most of the time.
As an instructor I've gotten to dance far more than I ever would have with the company. All the great parts. All the leads in all the famous ballets. I've been Juliet and I've been Cinderella...I've trained legions of Sugar Plum Fairies. I've worn pointe shoes and tutus, tiaras and leggings. I'll even wear flat shoes with my jeans these days. Mademoiselle Waverly may never be anyone's virtuoso but you won't be able to convince any of the round little faces waiting for me at the barre every afternoon at three.
That is my one claim to professional fame. La Sylphide. Being part of the corps for the entire performance and being able to use that experience to land an audition for Giselle. That audition was the last time I danced on stage at ABT. What I had convinced myself was only a pulled muscle turned out to be something far worse. The pain in my leg had been a stress fracture not musculature-related and I went down like a ton of bricks during a ballonné compose. The start and finish of my career as a dancer.
Of course, there are hundreds of times I danced before that. My classical training started at eight years of age and continued all through school. And I still dance, but now my audience is a lot smaller and I don't just mean the headcount. No, my little cavaliers (I have a grand total of two) and ballerinas are anywhere from five to twelve and pretty tiny. I call them my pixie parade most of the time.
As an instructor I've gotten to dance far more than I ever would have with the company. All the great parts. All the leads in all the famous ballets. I've been Juliet and I've been Cinderella...I've trained legions of Sugar Plum Fairies. I've worn pointe shoes and tutus, tiaras and leggings. I'll even wear flat shoes with my jeans these days. Mademoiselle Waverly may never be anyone's virtuoso but you won't be able to convince any of the round little faces waiting for me at the barre every afternoon at three.
