My grandma and I used to play make-believe in her upstairs spare room. She would narrate, and I would act and dance. There was always a dramatic turn in the story in which I would throw myself to the ground in some sort of despair. Papa would holler up to us, “what in the heck … Continued
Cemeteries are peace to me. My dad is the manager for the second largest cemetery in Kentucky, so I spent my childhood running through the graves and skipping amongst the dead. Act II of Giselle takes place in a cemetery. Perhaps this is yet another reason why this ballet has always captured my heart and … Continued
One of the beautiful aspects of Giselle is the ability for every person to find a way to relate to the story. The characters are incredibly human. Each viewer should be able to find some aspect of his or her own story in Giselle, Albrecht, Myrtha, or any of the characters in this ballet. Within … Continued
The fear sets in fast. In the pit of my stomach. Pop. I hear it again in my head. But I wonder if I ever heard it at all—or did I just feel it. Which is worse? I hobble off the stage and change my costume and start back to the wings to prepare for … Continued
Christmas is the best time of year. Every two years, however, Christmas takes a slight back seat to the Olympics. Just as I inherited my intense love of Christmas from my mother, I too have received her obsession with the Olympics. I can remember Mom carrying around her tiny eight-inch screen TV from room to … Continued
Words are a haven. A rest for the soul. A release for the spirit. Healing for brokenness. Words are power. Power to heal, soothe, forgive. Power to anger, rile, incite. Words can bring people to their knees—hurting, healing, rejoicing, rebuilding. Funny how sometimes the words not said are the ones that hurt the most. … Continued
January is a bittersweet month. Sweet because it is my birth month—and Christmas always goes until my birthday. Bitter because Christmas ends—and Christmas is magic. January is a Goodbye and a Hello. Time to reflect; time to look forward. January is sledding down the trusty old hill even though the grass is still poking through … Continued
Christmas is magic. It sweeps me away. Back to childhood. Joy. Innocence. Nutcracker is Christmas. It sweeps me away. Into imagination. Into a new world—but a familiar one. For as long as I can remember I’ve been carried by the magic of Nutcracker. As a child I would place costumes on my parents couch and … Continued
Most of ballet is fun. Like the music and the costumes and the pink slippers. Even the not fun parts like the sweating and sore muscles and remembering steps and corrections is fun. Christmas was the best time of year. And with Christmas came Nutcracker. And with Nutcracker came performing. But before you got to … Continued
I remember my heart beating a little faster and my legs not wanting to stay still. I remember not wanting to blink, taking it all in. I remember stunning costumes and breathtaking music. The soft patter of pointe shoes lightly tapping the stage floor. I remember feeling big inside. Full. The ride home was constant … Continued