I was always fascinated with ballet. One of my earliest memories involves watching
some “ballerinas” on a local morning news program. From then on, I was hooked, totally and
completely. But since my
family was unable to provide dance lessons, at least during my early years, I did
the next best thing.
As my students know, I am also in love with libraries. That’s where I began teaching myself about
ballet. Sitting cross-legged on the
floor (the dance books were located on a bottom shelf), I satisfied
(somewhat) my hunger to know everything possible about ballet and dance. I didn’t learn the technique physically, of
course, but I devoured everything I could about it in theory. I learned the names of the steps, and the
dancers, and the companies. There on the
floor of the library I also developed my love for dance history that continues
to this day.
I practically wore
out the library’s dance books, until, at age fourteen, I was at last enrolled
in dance classes! I knew enough from my
years of reading that the choice of a dance school was critically important,
and I was fortunate enough to study with the best of the best at The Academy of Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is a big thank you to all those
teachers!!
A wonderful article on libraries was published many years
ago in Victoria magazine, and I
believe it should be posted in every library in the world! The article is: Passport
to the Universe by Patricia O’Toole. Here is an abridged version:
Link of the Day:
From the Introduction
of The Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
“There are many paths to the destination of your dreams.”
Quote of the Day:
“The future belongs
to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
-
Eleanor Roosevelt
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