:: the ordinary becomes extraordinary ::

:: JMJ :: 

:: A ballet performance brings out the unexpected. Experiences, laughs, words, tears, accomplishments ... new and unknown horizons are revealed to the dancer in each performance. The impossible becomes possible, the ordinary extraordinary. I find this to be the magic of performance. The stage must possess some spell; it seems to freeze time and space for it's performers. It can capture one brilliant moment of ecstasy in the realm of movement for the dancer to stop, breathe, and be. One incredible moment leads into the next creating a blur of color, music, and dance.

This year's springtime dance performance for my studio was a new adventure as the ballet portion portrayed a storyline. The worlds of Dr. Suess and classical ballet were united through Gertrude and Tails. A graceful duet of narrators, an ostentatious bird named Mayzie, the quirky doctor bird, and finally the gentle Gertrude, these characters lead the audience through the plot of the ballet. 

After auditions in January, I was cast with a solo, and it came as a great surprise to me. Needless to say, when I discovered that I was cast as the lead solo, as Gertrude herself, I was blown away. It was a truly amazing experience to lead a ballet and what a time of growth it was! I was challenged technically, but where I found the most challenge, and now the most growth, is in my understanding of the portrayal of dance as a story. 

To walk on a stage and narrate a tale to the audience solely through movement, without the use of words - that is powerful. And several months ago, as far as I was concerned, it was an absolute impossibility for myself. But as the days passed, I was less and less intimidated by the challenge and more and more inspired. The days passed and I came to know Gertrude and her character quite well. The days passed and the stage became my canvas and movement my medium.  

I discovered a friendly sort of magic about costumes. One can walk into the backstage an ordinary dancer, and within minutes be transformed into a bird, a doctor, a narrator. However, similar to painting, as a real watercolor can not be achieved through paint alone, true portrayal of a character through dance can not be achieved through only putting on a costume. Costumes provide a vehicle for the interpretation of a story. It is the job of a dancer to supply the emotion and the grace to bring the character alive. Once combined, the costume and it's dancer create a treasure that will shine through the story of the dance. 

And so, the long awaited springtime showcase has reached it's glorious end ...

What a joy it has been to play the part of Gertrude, to experience the unexpected, to accomplish the impossible, to see the ordinary transformed into the extraordinary. :: 

:: Graci Rose Stefania ::