A Midsummer Night's Dream

At times, when I am just one of so many, I question if it makes a difference if I am on stage at all - and my answer is always the same - yes, it makes a difference to me. I love dance... all of it; every bit of it.

Of the many woodland creatures dancing across the theater stage in our company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, several of our second company members joined our professional company dancers on stage en pointe and it was brilliant. :) Here is a picture of me with three of my best ballet friends in the stairwell from our dressing room to backstage.

I love this ballet for many reasons. I first danced it in February 2003 when I was not quite 7 as a sprite so it holds a special place in my heart as my first full length, non-Nutcracker, professional ballet production. This time, eight years later and many pairs of ballet flats and pointe shoes later, I love it as much as I ever did. 

Mendelssohn was just 17 when he composed the Midsummer Overture Opus 21. He is said to have "scribbled the chords after hearing an evening breeze rustle the leaves in the garden of the family's home." 

The brilliance of the composition as well as the genius of the composer inspires me every time I hear even a snippet of the overture or any of the incidental music (Opus 61) Mendelssohn wrote years later. Ironically, the last time I heard Mendelssohn was last week - which as also our tech and production week. It randomly played on the classical radio station while my brothers and I were eating breakfast before school.