Ballet Magnificat

Recently our church held a mother-daughter event called Ballet Magnificat. A fabulous ballet company put on a performance in which they interpreted the gospel through dance. I knew Catherine would not understand the symbolism, but I thought she might enjoy the dancing. So, Catherine and I went to our first mother-daughter event.

We got there early, so we were lucky enough to get seats in the front row. Catherine sat on my lap and we watched the first dance. She seemed mesmerized, staring at them the whole time. Then, to my utter shock, she said "Can I go now?"

I could not believe it. I thought she would enjoy this show. I was being a good mother, introducing her to some culture. I had just paid $24 (!!) for these tickets. We had rearranged our schedules so that Robby could watch Sabrina. I had fought rush hour traffic to get there on time. No way were we leaving after one dance.

So, I said "No, we have to watch the whole show." And so we watched the next dance, with her still on my lap. When it was over she again asked "Can I go now?" I again said "No, we have to watch more." I had resigned myself that maybe Catherine was too young. Maybe she would not like dance. But, I would make her sit through at least half of this performance before I would let her leave.

During the third song, she began to get very wiggly. The kind of wiggling where she might get hurt if I tried to restrain her too much. She succeeded in getting off my lap. We were in the front row, so there was a good amount of floor space in front of us. She immediately started twirling around (she was wearing a cute little party dress with a big skirt) and curtsying. I tried to get her to sit back down, but I didn't want to force it too much and cause a scene in the middle of the ballet.

Plus, before the program began, a representative from the ballet company spoke and told us that it was OK if we wanted to get up and dance with them during the show. When she said that, I thought "Who in their right mind would want to dance with a group of professional, classically trained ballerinas?" I was thinking of the adults. It never crossed my mind that small children would want to dance along.

So, I decided to let Catherine dance. And dance she did. For the remainder of the program - a good hour and half. She spun. She reached her arms, outstretched. She lifted her leg behind her like an arabesque. She knelt down, collapsing on the floor. She raised herself up.

At times she would take a break and walk over and put her nose on the stage to watch the dancers. Then she would try to duplicate their arm and leg movements.

My church's floors are marble. Hard marble. I prayed that she would not lose her balance as she tried to do kicks and fall on her head. Catherine's balance is so poor. It was hard for me to relax and enjoy her dancing. My fear that she would injure herself interfered with the joy I should have felt. Oh how I wish I could have relaxed and truly enjoyed this moment!

After she danced for a few songs, she came back to our seats and pointed to the stage. She asked "Can I go there now?" I all of sudden understood what she had been asking before. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to go on the stage and join the dancers. Of course I could not let her do that. I told her no, the stage was only for the big dancers. But, every ten minutes or so she inched her way over to the stairs to the stage and looked back at me. Thank God we have taught her the sign for "No" and she obeyed.

The ballet company had set up a cross to the side of the stage. When one of the dancers went to the cross and knelt down before it, Catherine went and joined her. I was starting to be mortified, thinking that my child was disrupting the performance. Then I noticed several people taking pictures of Catherine and the dancer kneeling down in prayer in front of the cross. I wish I had had my camera with me. There was Catherine, kneeling down before a cross, which she probably thinks is just a big letter T.

During the last song, several of the dancers came off the stage and danced on the main level where we were. Not surprisingly, Catherine stood next to them, facing the audience, and mimicked their dancing. Within a minute, at least a dozen other little girls joined the dancers(and Catherine) and performed the last song together. It was adorable.

After the show, the church hosted a reception at which we could meet the dancers. For Catherine, it was like meeting the Disney princesses. She was thrilled and showed them how her skirt twirls, how she can curtsy.

It was such a wonderful evening and I am so grateful to our church for hosting this fabulous program.