Spassiva!

Este debe ser de 2008

My daughter is having ballet lessons since she is four years old. She is now eight.

Two weeks ago I picked her up at the ballet school after her Friday lesson, when the ballet teacher –a Romanian who has been living here for years, named Gelu Barbu- told me: “Look, the Russia Imperial Ballet is coming to town and they’ve asked me if some of my pupils would like to have a role in the play, as several kids are involved in it, you know, -he went on- it would be great for your daughter, it would be a superb experience for her and bla, bla, bla.”

At first, I got impressed by the name of the ballet company: folks, the Russia Imperial Ballet! But also by the fact that my daughter could have a role –even when it was a tiny one- in a play with such an important company. Suddenly, the teacher gave me the rehearsal schedule and the dates of the shows, and folks, for sure it was not so great, nor superb.

Rehearsals expected to take place on the 28^th 29^th 30^th 31^st of December and 2^nd of January. Each rehearsal lasted four hours.

The shows were going to take place at 20.30 on the 3^rd, at 12.00 and at 20.30 on the 4^th, at 12.00 on the 5^th and at 19.30 on the 6^th of January. Kids at the theater, two hours before the show starts off.

So soon I realized that all this dancing stuff was really a very tough and sacrificed task. She would have to spend most of her holiday time at the rehearsals and at the theater. I began to consider that, probably, it would be better to forget everything about dancing and have proper “kids” holidays instead.

Kids in Spain are on Xmas holidays from the 21^st of December ‘till the 8^th of January and there are two big “dates” for them: the night of the 24^th of December, Santa and the night of the 5^th of January, the Three Kings of the Far East. My daughter and two of her cousins, more or less on her age, traditionally spent four o five days in Xmas staying at my parents’ as two of them do not live in Gran Canaria, so they two both come across every year because my mum always  insists: “I want to have my granddaughters together with me for a few days”, you know how grandmothers are, and also because there is a very good feeling among the three girls.

Even when I was trying to make her forget all about the ballet, she decided she wanted to take the chance and we supported her.

The first rehearsal came and went but after the second, the girl came back home really tired, showing not very good “vibrations” about all the dancing stuff and pointing out that, perhaps, she would have more fun, staying at her grandmum’s with her cousins. “It is too tough, dad, it is four hours, and when I’m back home I still have to do all the Xmas homework, the director of the company make us repeat and repeat and repeat”.

I was with her. I was confidence that it was too tough, that she was having ballet lessons as part of her education, there was not any other reason but her tuition and that if we had to choose between ballet and a nice holidays with family……………………………I was sure about my choice.

But wife was sure about hers too.

Wife insisted. A very important psychologist strategy was suddenly developed and carried out. The girl’s attitude towards the rehearsals and shows was turned upside down in less than half an hour. All my efforts to avoid the “feared” ballet stuff……….in the rubbish bin, folks.  

My wife told me: “let me try please, just one more rehearsal, if she still does not want to go after this one, I’ll be OK”

The next day, after the rehearsal, finally my daughter decided to take part in the show.

Thanks God she did! Everybody was right except me.

After the first show the girl was very excited, “I was nervous, I had a stomach ache when I saw how many people there was at the theater, dad, it was crowded, there was not a single empty seat”. I must admit that she will never forget this experience, you know, everything involving a theater play lived from the inside, sharing that time with a professional ballet company, ballerinas,  make up and hairdresser, being on the stage, behind of it, the lights, the discipline of the ballet itself.

We were not able to see her on stage more than once. As parents of the girl they gave us only two tickets for the first show. When we asked for more, we were told that all the shows were sold out and there was not a single ticket left.

We picked her up after the last show and she told me “dad, If I had my way I'd go touring with the ballet company from tomorrow”.

Last week at the ballet school, I saw the teacher giving the pupils a diploma, a 30/40 euros check to spend in leotards and things like that. I thought to myself that it would have been unforgivable to make my daughter not to enjoy this marvelous chance that the Russian Imperial ballet has given her, an experience that she will remember her entire life.

39 lashes in my back as punishment.