26 Sep Dance Fever

It’s tough lying to a 3-year-old but I just couldn’t handle another carpool.  So Alexis would have to wait to take dance lessons, I said the studio wanted her to be at least 5, but I compromised and started her at 4.   She loved looking at her pretty older sisters and wishing she could be the one riding in the car to DeGrasse Dance Studio several times a week.  When she finally got the chance to start, she made the most of it. For the next 13 years.

At Nutcracker time her first year, she was a toy soldier, the mini allies of the Nutcracker Prince in the DeGrasse version of the famous ballet holiday classic.  Parents of the children in that First Act, Fight Scene were happy that the Dance Directors Johnna and Colette DeGrasse had substituted still and rigid straight arms for the former wooden guns for the toy soldiers, so the wee-dancers would stop clobbering each other.  (I thought the production lost a bit of realism with that decision but understood that safety must come first.)

As the years went on, Alexis would move up the parts in the Nutcracker with mice next, then bigger toy soldiers, children in the party scene, all the way up to Waltz of the Flowers about eight years later.  However, there were three singular roles that were deeply memorable for her mother usually in the wings. They were Clara, the protagonist of the Nutcracker soiree, the pas de deux as Snow Queen, and the culminating Fight Scene where she danced the part of the evil Mouse King.  

Alexis had hoped for 5-6 years to be chosen for the Clara role, as did every dancer who had ever performed in a Nutcracker production.  And when the role was given to her, she injected a great deal of theater into the dance. You could feel the celebratory joy of Clara who was a big part of a beautiful Christmas party at her house.  In parallel terms, the audience felt that joy that Alexis had in playing the role. As a privileged witness to over a hundred performances and different productions of the Nutcracker, it can be said that Alexis nailed it.  No, she was not a seasoned and older, professional dancer; yes, she was a passionate 12-year old Clara who drew the audience in with the strength of her acting performance while delivering on the dance artistry. 

The pas de deux as Snow Queen was another step forward in her development as a dancer.  Although not in her comfort zone and self-proclaimed nerve-racking, at least the chemistry between her and her partner did not need to be “played” or forced; they had been dancing together in groups and duos at studio productions, regional and national competitions for more than five years.  They shared many memories and this pas de deux was a ballet high point, whereas jazz rehearsals represented a low point because of their lack of discipline and maturity. They had been soundly rebuked and “often kicked out”. But here they were in the Nutcracker pas de deux mustering their nerves and talent.  However, as in many live performances, all was not perfect. During the first performance, I noticed that the tutu Alexis was wearing fit very poorly. As her mother (and chief artistic critic) I knew I had to step up and fix it before the next day’s performance. So with no previous credit as a costume seamstress, nor no previous convictions as a trespasser, I let myself into the studio and pilfered the necessary supplies to fix the gaping costume.  Then at the following two performances, I could enjoy the dance as much as the audience, my eyes riveted on the art and technique of the dance, and not the ill-fitting costume. 

The culmination of her development and dramatic ability in Nutcracker performances was in the Fight Scene as the Mouse King.  The surge of adrenaline was to be fighting with your claws out with sinister and diabolical designs on the Nutcracker. She was fighting her best friend Kelsey, also a member of the small group who had been dancing in tap, jazz, and ballet for years.  They were no longer dancing coordinated steps; they were fighting fiercely for the attention and approval of the audience. They even had real (wooden) swords.

The highlights of Alexis’s young dance career were not restricted to ballet and jazz.  She also took tap classes from a formidable teacher Roberta Dale. Bert, as she was known, was Australian and carried herself as a force to be reckoned with.  She was exacting in her expectations with her students. She accomplished this with many hours of disciplined practice, scheduled and unscheduled. And with a lot of yelling.  Students inexplicably learned to happily deal with her. But the parents of the dance students were afraid and completely intimidated by her. Family vacations and holiday plans were often rearranged because Bert needed to get the dancers ready for the next competition or performance.  Few families resisted the pressure.

There were many regional and national events during the year.  Most were outstanding accomplishments for the dancers (and for Bert) but two performances particularly stand out.  The 5 usual dancers had been asked to perform at a National Veteran’s Convention in Washington, D.C. The dancers mesmerized the audience of vets with an acapella rendition of “Sounds Good to Me” and tap number to a military march entitled “Requiem for the Unknown.”  Both pieces deeply touched people in attendance, whether they were veterans, performers’ parents or even the wait-staff at the grand ballroom that night. Bert entered those numbers in regional and national competitions and they never failed to take First Place.

Today Alexis still remembers with tenderness her performances that were so much a part of the joy of growing up.  But she remembers most fondly the people that were a part of those interminable hours of rehearsal at DeGrasse Dance Studio:  her fellow dancers, Johnna DeGrasse, Colette DeGrasse, and Roberta Dale. She credits Johnna and Colette for character development; Bert, of course, inspired and fueled her competitive side. And for everything else every so often, she remembers her mother in the wings.