The Desire to Dance "Ballet"

(Warning: If you have never participated in, or at least appreciated, dance in its highest and most athletic forms, you will find this post to be fansite gibberish).

Tonight the three of us were watching "So You Think You Can Dance." For those who have never seen it, the show is the only one on the major channels that features real, talented dancers, and exciting choreography. When two of the best dancers, Will and Jessica, began their contemporary ballet routine, Lola said to Josh, "Dance with me, Daddy!" He got up to dance with her, but after a few moments, she started to complain. "No, not like this!" (they were dancing apart, like "normal" people dancing). She pointed to the TV several times, getting very frustrated. "Like this . . . like this!" she said several times. Finally she said, "Like this . . . ballet" as the two dancers onscreen did a complicated and beautiful series of lifts." I laughed and said, "Okay, Lola, we can do that," and lifted her into an elementary "fish" lift and spun her around. For those of you who knew me in high school, yes, it was the one I did with the show choir. After the fun, she continued to want to do what the people onscreen were doing. I had to explain to her that they were very good dancers and that it took a lot of practice. But that desire ("like this . . . ballet") reminded me so much of how I felt during my dancing years, because with the best dancing, you see always an ineffable "like this."--K