Ballet class is like Life Lessons 101. You learn some of life’s most important lessons here that you will carry with you forever.”
– J.H. Morscher

During what would normally be the late-November energy lull before the flurry of theatre rehearsals in preparation for our annual Nutcracker, we instead experienced absolute magic at the school. Every student rose with such grace and earnestness to the challenge, their hard work in the studio learning complicated and taxing combinations paying off exponentially in their movements across the floor. We have a viewing window at the studio that helps serve as a way for parents to see their children’s progress, but that pales in comparison to inviting them in to see, from an audience’s vantage point, the smiles, the sweat, and the intense focus in the studio.

Witnessing this was of course a source of great joy for me, but was nothing compared to seeing the look of pride and astonishment on the faces of the kids’ parents and grandparents as they saw what their children had achieved in just one short semester of work.

With so much emphasis in dance studio culture on the stage performances, done under the lights with shimmering costumes that certainly do complement the dancers’ movements, it is refreshing and inspiring for me to witness with immediacy the gift that the dancers give not only to themselves, but to those that love to see them dance.

I believe the best and most important gift for our dancers to embrace is the moment-by-moment triumphs that they experience each time they enter the studio, come to the barre, and prepare to dance what moves their little souls.

As we move forward in to December and to the theatre, dressed in our tutus and tights, let’s think of all the little triumphs that made those few short moments from behind the footlights possible, and smile, knowing what all these plies and pirouettes dancing really are about.

Happy Nutcracker Season to you all!