“Awesome, can’t wait to meet her.”
I give him a kiss and then run across the street and into the Delancey Dance Academy.
In Mattie’s dance class, thirty boys and girls are all jumping up and down and yelling happily as they fling off their coats to reveal bodies of all shapes and sizes. There is one girl with the long limbs of a future ballerina and another who’s as short and thick as a little bear cub. One little boy is showing off his ability to do splits, while another is sitting in the corner eating a Twinkie.
I think about Leni on her Pilates mat, and Daisy gossiping with Zoe about the latest casting as Bea rolls her eyes. Last week I happened to walk by the theater, and I saw Zoe chatting with Jonathan as they returned from the deli. I waved to them from across the street, but I don’t think they saw me. Above Zoe’s head floated a dozen red balloons.
After dancing in the corps de ballet of the Manhattan Ballet, everything else seems manageable. It makes the difficult things of normal life seem… if not easy, then at least less hard. I think about the company almost every day. I’m thankful I was a part of it, and I’m thankful that I’m gone.
Beauty is everywhere, not just in the theater.
The children hush as I enter and take my place at the front of the class. “Ladies and gentlemen,” I say. “Please take your places at the barre and show me your first position.”
There is a mad dash for spots, and then thirty pairs of eyes are staring at me, waiting to see what I’ll do next. It is an utterly different kind of audience from the one I’m used to, and I feel my stomach flutter nervously. But I straighten my spine and smile.
“Very good,” I say. “Now take a deep breath. Let’s dance.”
Acknowledgments
Writing this novel has been an incredibly cathartic, humbling process, and it took a small village to see it to fruition.
This book would not have been possible without the guidance and patience of my dear friend and fellow writer, Emily Chenoweth. I would like to thank my incredible editor, Elizabeth Bewley, who sought me out and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. My literary agent, Brettne Bloome, has been the book’s biggest cheerleader from the inception of this project.
Thanks to my parents, Fran and Bob, who’ve always encouraged me to dream big and to strive for things seemingly beyond my grasp. And a big hug to my younger sister, Hannah, whom I hope to be like someday.
My partner in crime, Josh Charles, lived with me through possibly one of the biggest life transitions I’ll ever experience, during which I wrote this book. Babe, if we could get through that, we can get through anything. Your generosity, support, loyalty, curiosity, and extraordinary talent inspire me every single day.
Some of the most influential people in my life rarely receive the acknowledgment they so deserve. In order of chronology, these ballet teachers had a profound impact on my dance career: Jill Silverman, Kristen Beckwith, Anna-Marie Holmes, Alexandra Bullock, Jacqueline Cronsberg, Sandra Jennings, Gloria Govrin, Patricia McBride, Suzanne Farrell, Susan Pilarre, Kay Mazzo, Suki Schorer, Nancy Bielski, and Wilhelm Burmann.
A standing ovation for the professors who influenced the way I view the world, and have given me the tools and confidence to take on this project: Professor Christian De Matteo, Professor Robert A. Ferguson, Professor Nalini Jones, and Professor Erik Gray.
I am grateful to Peter Martins and the New York City Ballet for allowing me to achieve my dream of dancing with one of the best companies on the planet. It was an adventure of a lifetime, and my experiences there, both onstage and off, helped inform the person I am today.
And I would like to acknowledge the die-hard balletomanes up in the fifth ring. I danced for you guys every night.
Contents
Front Cover Image
Welcome
Dedication
FALL SEASON
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
WINTER SEASON
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
SPRING SEASON
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue: Fall Semester
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by Sophie Flack
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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First eBook Edition: October 2011
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
ISBN: 978-0-316-19322-1
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