The Things Parents Do.

This story only skims the surface of what a parent does for his kid. Parents who do these sorts of things for their kids must love them like none other.

I had this tape of the New York City Ballet performing The Nutcracker. Macaulay Caulkin as Clara's Prince... so awesome right? I used to dance along with it all the time when I was like four years old. When the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince would dance together, I made my dad dance with me. He was the Prince to my Sugar Plum, and while one of us was "dancing" in front of the television, the other would wait out in the "wings" (or the hallway) and "get a drink of water" until the dancers changed places. The great thing was that he thought this was the greatest thing in the world. He told everyone about his escapades as the Sugar Plum's Prince. He was just proud and amused. I think only parents can really feel that way.

I want my kids to be little ballerinas so badly! I mean, if they hate it, obviously they don't need to continue with it. I know the moment I see them master a plie for the first time, and feel that same rush of blood to the head when they turn I'll be just as proud as my parents when I danced along to The Nutcracker.

On the Subject of Muchness.

I saw Alice in Wonderland this weekend. Normally Tim Burton stuff completely freaks me out but for some reason I loved it! I just wasn't prepared for how beautiful the art direction and cinematography were. In my favorite scene, the Mad Hatter criticizes Alice for her lack of "muchness". The old Alice, the little girl who traveled to Wonderland in her dreams, apparently had all the guts and bravery to take on the inverted ridiculousness of Wonderland. Little kids will do anything until they realize how dangerous or ridiculous it is--until they lose their "muchness". Alice at age 20, however, seemed to lack this panache. The rest of the movie had to do with Alice's reclaiming of her muchness so that she could save Wonderland from the evil antics of the Red Queen. Alice realizes that Wonderland is nothing more than a dream, yet her efforts are still devoted to saving the characters and the world she has come to love. No, it's not real. It's art. It's a dream. But the emotional attachment that we all have to art and dreams--there's nothing more real than that.

I did the splits for the first time since I was ten this week. I was really proud of myself. I wasn't sure if I could actually get all the way down there but I just went for it happened! I was in the splits. Tuesday was a little rough... but I don't regret it. There's no way that I could have gotten into that position without this taking this class. Since we've started working with one hand on the bar I can definitely feel my arms getting stronger, and my balance is sloooooowly improving. The Dance Informance is sneaking up on us and of course, I won't feel ready for it. Something about having an audience, though, seems to automatically prepare me for whatever I'm doing. Even if I never feel it anywhere else in my life, I've always felt my muchness when on stage.

I've always admired Maria Callas for her "muchness". There's no way you can hear her sing and think that she didn't just leave it all out there. The beginning of this video is like watching her step up to home plate as she waits for Roger Clemens to pitch to her. And she just hits it out of the park. That look of thrill in her face, the way she purses her lips together while the low strings rev her up is so incredible. I just can't help but be amazed by her. I don't think normal people are like that. They don't tackle art like it's a bully. Only the true artists do--they see inside it and beyond it and become attached to it. Perhaps they are mad, but doesn't that just make you never want to be sane? I know I'd rather be as crazy as Edgar Allen Poe and leave something wonderful and controversial and brilliant than to just walk politely on the edge of things and make it look like you were never even there. I guess that's just muchness.

Anyway, doing the splits this week was step one of Operation Muchness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRgDBo8ZPN0&feature=related

"Have I gone mad?"
"I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."
-Alice in Wonderland