Posts filed under ‘a memory’
strokes of a pen
. . .
our eyes connected,
a few words spoken,
smiles exchanged…
for the briefest of moments
each one belonged to me.
only me.
. . .
though our time shared was brief,
their time bestowed will live in my forever…
. . .
a few of my prize possessions…Mikhail Baryshnikov, Frederick Franklin, Alexandra Danilova, Suzanne Farrell, Patricia McBride
. . .
One of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time…
. . .
. . .
My Nutcracker Story
*
once upon a time,
there lived a little girl
whose dream was to be in The Nutcracker,
to dance amongst the snowflakes, flowers and dolls
but
most of all to ‘live’ the role of Clara.
*
she practiced for hours and hours each day,
thought of nothing but ‘becoming the part’,
of the sweet little girl
whose gift from her grandfather
became a prince
and
captured her heart.
*
after two years of being a party girl and bunny,
and
watching Clara dance from the wings,
the day came to pass
when the cast sheet revealed
she would finally come
to realize her dream.
*
there were rehearsals in studios,
rehearsals on stage,
rehearsals with costumes and orchestra,
nights with no sleep,
big blisters on toes ~
she was living in a constant state of euphoria!
*
when opening night arrived it was quite the affair,
there was a dynamic which could not be contained ~
from the moment the strings played their very first notes
and
the red velvet curtain was raised.
*
the ballet began with a party and guests,
dancing and playing with toys ~
until a mysterious gentleman suddenly arrived
with his enchanted dolls for all to enjoy.
*
there was a very unique doll
set aside for last,
to be given to one special girl ~
the mysterious man had created a Nutcracker
for his granddaughter
to enrapture her world.
*
Clara was bewitched as she danced and danced,
till it was time for the party to end.
as the guests took their leave
the house became quiet ~
it was the moment to forge onward to bed.
*
BUT
Clara was restless,
unable to sleep
so she made her way down the stairs to the tree,
where her Nutcracker stood guard,
and
the clock struck midnight
with chimes hailing the beginning
of Clara’s magnificent dream.
*
the big stage came alive as the sets disappeared
and
the tree grew over twenty feet tall ~
there were regiments of soldiers,
a mouse king with four heads
and
scurrying mice…
some very big and a few very small.
*
then it happened ~ it came ~ the moment of surprise
when the Nutcracker became larger than life ~
he fought with his sword
and
his faithful soldiers behind him…
a battle… with no end in sight.
*
during all of the raucous,
Clara stood on the sidelines
watching
and
thinking of what she could do,
when a thought suddenly occurred ~
‘the mice king needs a distraction
why not throw something at him…
something handy…. like a …. shoe’?
*
SO
*
she grabbed her shoe,
aimed for one of the heads
and
threw as hard as she could ~
where upon the king turned away,
a sword met its mark ~
ending the reign of the mouse king for good.
*
Clara stood in disbelief as the soldiers and mice
walked away leaving nothing behind
but
a man
who moments before was her Nutcracker ~
now a prince leading her on a journey….
way into the night.
*
the end of act one saw the magical forest ~
a snow queen and her prince…
then
a flurry of snowflakes prancing on stage
with ‘snow’ falling from an overhead scrim.
*
~ Intermission ~
*
act two began with a ride in a sleigh
to the land of fairies, dancing flowers and sweets
and
a story of how Clara saved the Nutcracker’s life ~
broke the spell
of a doll he would no longer be.
*
after introductions were made,
the prince called upon
the kingdom to perform for his guest ~
the land of sweets
came bursting alive with dancing
and
classical music at its best.
*
as Clara and her prince sat
in a gazebo on stage right,
she knew in her heart
it was more than a ‘dream’ ~
the desire she felt was real…
the journey was real…
it was ‘who’
she was meant to be.
*
the young girl wanted to waltz along with the flowers,
wave a fan in black Spanish lace
and
pirouette in a tutu all around the stage
as the reed instruments in the orchestra played.
*
the last to perform was the sugar plum fairy
along with her cavalier ~
a pas de deux so beautiful,
so spectacular to watch
that Clara’s eyes began to well up with tears…
because
Clara knew ~ the young girl knew ~
the grande finale was about to begin,
when all the dancers performed one last time
and
bid farewell to her and the prince.
*
the end of the ballet brought curtain calls,
a dozen red roses with applause
and
stage hands taking apart the sets
and
packing away the props.
*
*
when the end of night
finally arrived,
the young girl laid awake in her bed ~
all she could see
were visions of herself
dancing around in her head ~
~ ~ ~
waltzing with flowers,
pirouettes in a tutu,
and
waving a fan in black Spanish lace ~ ~ ~
leaping through the air,
under snowflakes and candy canes
all around a magnificent stage.
*
*
post script: I wrote this piece last year and I chose to post it again this year, however, I refined it a bit. An edit here and an edit there – one year after the fact with fresh eyes and a few years of writing poetry under my belt (or shall I say under my tutu:)
Weekly Photo Challenge – Endurance
~
~
Ironman Wisconsin 2006 – 1 second before crossing the finish line
~
For me, Ironman Wisconsin was the pinnacle of endurance. Never had I ever undertaken such a task and it proved to be a true test of physical and mental gumption. It was the longest day of my entire physical life. The rain, the wind, unseasonable cold weather and the constant deadlines nipping at my heels.
I had one goal and ‘that’ was to finish and ‘that’ I did ~
3 minutes shy of 17 hours.
~
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/endurance/
~
lamentations
:
:
i know he has to go
but
knowing does not make it any less painful.
:
:
it is not a ‘forever‘ goodbye,
it is a ‘i’ll see ya later‘ goodbye.
however,
inside
it is a ‘i will miss you so, so, so very much‘ goodbye
and
‘i cannot wait for you to come back home‘ goodbye
:
:
Weekly Photo Challenge – Between
ϒ
Wizards Waving Wands!
ϒ
Expelliarmus!!
ϒ
This photo was taken the night we saw Harry Potter – The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011). Both Peyton and Jordan wore their black capes (Peyton’s is an actual Harry Potter costume and Jordan’s is part of a Darth Vader costume). Each one brought their wands and before we left the theatre, they needed a moment…to do what it is they do…
The obvious ‘between’ here is two ‘magic’ wands. What may not be obvious is the strong brotherly love my two son’s have each other. They are very, very close and the very best of friends.
ϒ
ϒ
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/between-danielle-hark/
suspended in time
∼
∼ ∼
looking in his eyes
feet never touching the ground
once upon a waltz
∼
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∼
a ps: Way back when I was in college, I took a historical dance class, which was taught by Mr. Richard Powers*, a famous dance historian known for his work in film, stage productions and workshops around the world. Each class, a student had an opportunity to dance with the teacher. My opportunity – my blessing – came the day of the waltz. He stood in front of me, took my hand and the other commandingly held my waist. I was terribly jittery inside; nervous that I would step on his toes, or worse, break a limb. When the music began, I was literally swept off my feet. All I can say is that I have never, ever had a moment where I completely lost track of time and place. All I saw were his eyes and, I can honestly say, I never felt my feet touch the ground.
There has never been a moment like this since.
≈
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Powers_%28dance_historian%29
legs
∫
∫
for more than twenty years…
you completed my lines,
you gave me a dream
and
you challenged my life.
∫
i treated you with respect
and
tender loving care.
in return,
you gave me wings –
allowing me to fly through the air.
∫
you were there at the beginning,
for all the blood, sweat
and
tears,
helped me soar above the sadness –
sustained my life through the years.
∫
though my world no longer revolves
around a dance barre
and
a stage,
i look upon you – now –
still wishing for those days…
…
forever dreaming…
when life
was
young
and
the heart
was
brave.
∫
∫
found an old pair of friends
∫
what was once…
ß
ß
the naughty threesome
always hungry and goofy
my treasured goofballs
ß
ß
Wisconsin Dells, 2007
ß
ßill, Peyton and Jordan
a little note: This is quite a wonderful picture – not because Bill and Peyton have a pretzel in their eye and Jordan was trying to hold a pretzel in his eye, failed and looked utterly goofy – no – it is a wonderful photo because #1. Peyton had a grilling fork in his hand and #2. Jordan had the Chicago Tribune movie section in his lap. If there is one thing Bill did that was so very, very special, it was to encourage my boys’ passion – cooking, food and movies. & when the three were together, I could never tell who the grown up was……ever…
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