Reflections from a Supporter

I have watched ballet all my life, and I have watched friends and now my child as they experience training in ballet.  But I have never had such an intimate view into what it means to create a ballet as that afforded me by the "Making of Romeo & Juliet" blogspot, watching the ballet take shape week by week in the studio, and finally, a very special viewing of a run-through in studio. The depth of understanding I have gained from all this is immense, and I have been profoundly moved by what I've learned.  I've learned to watch ballet with eyes opened wide to the depth of intellectual and emotional preparation that each dancer goes through, beyond the intensive preparation that defines ballet performance.  I've learned that when I'm watching dancers on the stage, gasping and applauding at their seemingly gravity-defying movement, I'm not just seeing the product of that physical preparation, but also the reflection of an emotional and intellectual exploration that gives that movement soul and breath. 

As a parent, watching rehearsal in studio while my daughter does her own training in class, I've come to hope that if my daughter reaches her goal of dancing professionally, she will be similarly challenged to explore the emotional and intellectual aspects of dance.  If she is lucky enough to dance at a place like the Sacramento Ballet, she will be growing her soul as she trains her body.  And I know now, more than ever, I want that for her, too. 

Reading Stefan's and Christopher's and Chloe's and Roy's and every other dancer's daily reflections, I've come to realize what a community of dancers means as well.  Watching the dancers watching each other, I see how they cheer for one another, cry for one another, and work together to make this production not just a "production" but a reality for the audience. And as always, I'm reminded of just how lucky we are to have this company of dancers and their amazing directors, all of whom are so intrinsically dedicated, so talented, and so in love with what they do every day in the studio and on stage - and at Raley's and Wells Fargo, and at Second Saturday, and... and....  Thank you, Sacramento Ballet.  You have enriched our lives beyond measure.  Please keep blogging. And of course, please keep dancing.

- Beth Post