a story without words.
music, costumes, dance, but no words.
brothers spend hours in the studio, just to be near their daddy.
hours spent watching dancers rehearse, watching daddy and the ballerina rehearse.
ballet mistress agrees to put the brothers on stage so they too can tell a story without words.
brothers learn the language of ballet - the expressions, the gestures, the tilt or turn of the head - a language with no words.
the story was a bit like Gepetto all over again. the old man, a toy maker with no children of his own, creates a doll and falls in love with her. an idea as old as time, literally... Creator loving creation.
the toy maker is their very own daddy.
the locals think the toymaker is mad, ridicule him.
ballerina takes the joke too far... sneaks into the toymaker's shop, slips into the doll's costume, pretends to be the doll come to life. oh the joy! the toymaker is just beside himself!
toys come alive, beautiful joyful music!
then, betrayal is revealed. music darkens, beauty descends into chaos, and ah, the brokenhearted toymaker collapses in grief.
lights dim. spotlight on weeping toymaker holding lifeless doll-body. youngest son jumps to feet with real tears streaming down 6 year old cheeks and screams "DON'T MAKE MY DADDY CRYYYYYY!!!!"
i realize then the true power...the power of music, art, costume, movement, lights, gesture, story!
in just one act, his love for ballet, for the stage, for the ballerina evaporates.
what was "Understandable" BEFORE,
when it was in rehearsal,
in pieces,
viewed from backstage,
framed by off-stage piles of props and
dancers crowding, stretching...
NOW polished,
put together,
viewed from front row balcony,
framed by velvet curtains
becomes...
"Overwhelming".
consolation comes between acts backstage. hugs and words of encouragement, and a most important and timely life lesson -
"the show must go on".
he hesitates, torn. and then victory - he trusts and obeys.
and the show does go on.
and the tears fade.
and he loves the stage again.
and he loves the ballerina again.
but he loves his daddy more.
