Smiling, Lindsay let herself remember the music, the movement, the magic and the times she had felt her body was without bounds, fluid and free.
Reality had come afterward, with unspeakable cramping, bleeding feet, strained muscles.
How had it been possible, again and again, to contort her body into the unnatural lines that made up the dance? But she had done it, and she had pushed herself to the limits of ability and endurance.
She had given herself over, sacrificing her body and the years.
There had been only the dance.
Reflections
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By Lambtron - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6353701
Darian Volkova is a professional ballerina and photographer who captures what goes into practicing ballet. Volkova says
her perspective is unique because she can "feel, see and shoot the
dance like only [a] dancer can."
While traveling with her company,
Volkova photographs ballet dancers from around the world, and the
results are stunning. See 15 of her photos below:
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She wondered how much truth had been in his angry words. Bursting through the front door of the building, she headed straight for her dressing room.
Once inside, she closed her door and leaned back against it. She was shaking from head to foot. A few short remarks from Donald had dehumanized her.
Ruth moved slowly to her mirror and switched on all the lights.
With hard, searching eyes, she studied her face.
Had her love and devotion for dancing made her selfish and one dimensional?
Was she really unable to feel deeply for a man, to make a positive commitment?
Ruth pressed her hands to her cheeks. The skin was soft, smooth, the scent on her hands was feminine.
But was she? Ruth could read the panic in her eyes.
Where did the dancer end and the woman begin?
She shook her head and turned away from her own image.
Too many mirrors, she thought suddenly.
There were too many mirrors in her life, and she was no longer certain what they reflected.
What would she be in a decade, when the dancer faced the twilight of her career?
Would memories and clippings be all she had?
Dance of Dreams