"A La Seconde" by Robert Heindel
"To dance is to be out of yourself.
Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.
This is power, it is glory on earth
and it is yours for the taking."
- Agnes De Mille
My contribution for this Show & Tell Friday is "A La Seconde" by Robert Heindel...
Several years ago, Kathy (Mr. Gorgeous' mamma) gave me this 5x7 card for my birthday. I immediately framed it and hung it above my nightstand. When I created my little home office - Sanctuary, I moved Her to a little table - where I can see Her every day.
For years, I had been looking for Ballet art that featured Black ballerinas - to no avail. Kathy and I had often spoken of this and one afternoon, while she was wandering around the gift shop of the Louvre Museum she found this card, bought it and kept it nearly 6 months - waiting for my birthday (yeah, I've got that kind of awesome mother-in-law ;-) Is still marvels me, the way that Paris connects so many pieces of my life! Knowing how rare this Black ballerina art piece is, I contacted the artist (Robert Heinlen) to ask him about it. His wife answered the phone and we spent a truly delightful hour talking. The ballerina is a principal dancer for the British Royal Ballet, it's a very limited edition. I have not been able to find another print, in any size, since. Which is worrying because my Black ballerina print is starting to fade. Still I won't give up the hunt. Maybe I should call Mr. Heinlen again...
I began studying ballet when I was 24. And from my first class I was hooked. Plie, Adagio, Allegro, Reverence... every movement, every moment of Ballet is a revelation. A ballerina, whatever her level of skill, is intimately connected to her inner and outer selves. The physical movements required for ballet requires the dancer to completely focus on her body - her breathing, her carriage, her footing, her center. Whatever is worrying you is blocked from your mind - you're too busy regulating your breathing, pulling up, turning out, 'pushing through the floor,' extending beyond your fingertips, and pointing your toes as hard as you can (all at the same time!) Ballet is as close to Zen as a person can get - heaven!
42 is fast approaching and Ballet is one of the things that empowers me to embrace it. When I dance I am "larger, more beautiful, more powerful." I'm entering my 18th year of Ballet and I'll dance for the rest of my life - Amen!
Be whole, be joyful, dance!
Be whole, be joyful, dance!
Temple
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