First act
All the rehearsals were worth it: the time spent, the sleepless nights trying to make the dance as perfect as possible, the scolding and encouragement of an instructor, the falls, the stumbles, the effort. It was all worth it, fading away like smoke carried by a cool breeze so pleasant that it caresses your face, like on this night. The night of the show and of my debut as the protagonist of this play.
Even though I don't know exactly what or who inspired me, I am sure that everything will go well. I will not let this mixture of nervousness and fear that swirls in my chest at the sight of so many people, take hold of me causing it to be ruined. Not only my effort, but also that of my other colleagues, who like me, are passionate and love ballet.
“It’s time, everyone take their positions” I hear the instructor say in her usual authoritarian tone mixed with enthusiasm. I am preparing to get into my place to go out, placing myself in position, as we rehearsed yesterday in this same theater. The instructor smiles at me and wishes me the best of luck. I thank her with a smile. I look around before they announce the third call. I notice that most of my teammates are a bit anxious and excited, since it is their first time. For me it is not the first, but it is the first in which I am the main one. I will play the role of a girl who falls in love at first sight with a man. The time arrives and I hear the signal announcing my entry. First act. The orchestra begins to play a soft piece, with violins, violas, those big cellos and harps; that take you to a heavenly world full of tranquility, without worries, simply perfect. That melody is what inspires me to dance with such delicacy and ease that it seems that no one stands in my way, not even the air around me.
The male character makes his entrance and changes a little the rhythm of the melody becoming calmer. I find myself with my back to the front of him (the boy looking at the audience). It's time to turn around and make way for love. As I barely turn my waist to see my dance partner, I spot a person in the audience who catches my attention. Time stands still. The world around me disappears. I fix my eyes on his gaze for a second and even though it's only a tiny second, I realize that he has such a beautiful gaze that I wouldn't forget even if I lived for hundreds of years. Green eyes that glowed beautifully in the lights and gave the sensation that they could leave you hypnotized for eternity. Eyes so penetrable that it was as if you could see her soul. Her light brown, straight, tousled hair only enhanced her sublime and unearthly gaze. The beats behind my chest accelerate causing a burning I had never felt before, could it be of joy? I feel my eyes light up and open. I have felt the force of love at first sight, of a crush to the heart. Sitting in the middle of the second row, he rested his hands on the seat to intertwine his fingers with those of the girl next to him.
The boy also looks at me in amazement and pauses his movements. His gaze is drawn away to the dancer who comes on stage. A delicate touch on his cheek is enough to turn him away from me. However, he turns his head. There is still hope, of course in the next act.
I have a feeling he'll be back. He will go to see the next performance of the play and for that I will strive. I want to convey my feelings to him through my body, through this beautiful art. I will not allow any mistake, because I want everything to be perfect. That is why I spend all day rehearsing. When I am not at the ballet academy, I practice at home. When I get tired and frustrated, it comes to my mind the moment when I saw the boy with whom I fell in love at first sight, delighting me with the memory and fascinating me again for that look that I would like to have closer to me; with the feelings, thoughts that crossed in that nothing of time that is so eternal when I penetrate in his eyes until I feel magnetic sympathy with his soul. Mysteriously the desire and the emotion come back to me again, I found my why. I want him to fall in love with me too in the same way I did, because I think it is a beautiful way to fall in love, without reasons or explanations. Seeing each other for the first time is like looking into each other's souls and getting to know them in depth.
So, the time has come again. I am excited, my senses are startled, my heart beats energetically. I take a look through the curtain. Like last time, many people have come. I just concentrate on meeting their eyes. However I hear the voice of the instructor. “It's time” she says in her usual tone mixed with elation. “The time has come” I say to myself inside my mind. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves a bit and get ready to enter the scene.
