The One
This post isn't about me.
My wife is a classical ballet teacher. The hours are long, and the pay is appalling. There are any number of reasons why someone would not want to do the job, and yet there are many teachers who make a career of it.
Like any job, there are minor victories frequently enough to make the teachers get out of bed each morning and get down to the ballet studio. It may be a student who has struggled for a long time and finally "gets it". It may be the painfully shy student who slowly gains confidence over the years. It may be the ex-student who comes back and thanks the teacher for changing her life. Whatever it is, it's a sign that all the hard work is worthwhile.
And if you're really lucky, there is "The One".
Many teachers have a long and satisfying career without ever having the chance to teach The One. But maybe one day a young girl will arrive at your studio for her first lesson with the combination of a natural gift, an ideal physiology which can take the training, and an ideal psychology which will accommodate the determination necessary to make it. Then after years of moulding and shaping, out will pop a ballerina who will conquer the world. She is The One.
My wife was lucky enough to have her version of The One, and a good enough teacher to take the raw materials and make them count. This student went on to win numerous awards, and in 1998 Lorraine and I flew to London to watch her win a silver medal in the prestigious Adeline Genee Awards, which is an annual international ballet competition.
The following year The One began training at the Australian Ballet School, where she graduated dux, and was subsequently offered a contract to join the Australian Ballet Company. Last year she was named winner of the 2005 Telstra Ballet Dancer Award, and at just 23 years of age has already been promoted to Soloist.
And now last night she won a Helpmann Award in the category "Best Female Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work".
Her name is Lana Jones.
Congratulations, Lana. You are The One.
My wife is a classical ballet teacher. The hours are long, and the pay is appalling. There are any number of reasons why someone would not want to do the job, and yet there are many teachers who make a career of it.
Like any job, there are minor victories frequently enough to make the teachers get out of bed each morning and get down to the ballet studio. It may be a student who has struggled for a long time and finally "gets it". It may be the painfully shy student who slowly gains confidence over the years. It may be the ex-student who comes back and thanks the teacher for changing her life. Whatever it is, it's a sign that all the hard work is worthwhile.
And if you're really lucky, there is "The One".
Many teachers have a long and satisfying career without ever having the chance to teach The One. But maybe one day a young girl will arrive at your studio for her first lesson with the combination of a natural gift, an ideal physiology which can take the training, and an ideal psychology which will accommodate the determination necessary to make it. Then after years of moulding and shaping, out will pop a ballerina who will conquer the world. She is The One.
My wife was lucky enough to have her version of The One, and a good enough teacher to take the raw materials and make them count. This student went on to win numerous awards, and in 1998 Lorraine and I flew to London to watch her win a silver medal in the prestigious Adeline Genee Awards, which is an annual international ballet competition.
The following year The One began training at the Australian Ballet School, where she graduated dux, and was subsequently offered a contract to join the Australian Ballet Company. Last year she was named winner of the 2005 Telstra Ballet Dancer Award, and at just 23 years of age has already been promoted to Soloist.
And now last night she won a Helpmann Award in the category "Best Female Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work".
Her name is Lana Jones.
Congratulations, Lana. You are The One.
posted by Alan at 4:59 PM
2 Comments:
Ahh- you can't be that great without a great teacher. I'm giving all my congratulations (for what measley litle they're worth) to Lorraine : )
Lovely, lovely post.
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