Once upon a time; spot! chainé your heart out!; there was a girl; she tries hard, but she won’t get anywhere; who loved to dance; keep your core engaged and plié deeper; she wore a lovely diamond tiara; twist your ponytail three times and pin into place – you will lose some bobby pins, but they will appear three months later beneath your pillow like pennies and teeth; and a white tutu that glowed like the moon; barre is where the magic happens, ladies – if you don’t warm up well, you don’t dance well, and you don’t perform well; when she danced; roll through your feet, girls, that’s much better!; the audience cried; hairspray is a dancer’s duct tape, even if you pass out from the fumes; tears of joy and laughter; piqué is on the up beat, not the down beat – you must fly up to fall down; for she was a magician, her dancing was magic; to embody a true ballerina you must switch characters like masks – one moment, the wicked witch cursing sleeping beauty, the next, Puck, the trickster fairy from “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream”; and she could do anything in the world if she worked hard enough; toss her – really toss her! she can handle it!; she poured her blood and sweat and tears into her dancing; balance – trust yourself, have faith in your body – it hasn’t failed yet; and when the curtains finally closed; if grand allegro is flying, petite allegro should remain at a gentle hover; she smiled the grin of the victorious; you’ve improved quite a bit – don’t disappoint us; and lived happily ever after; before the audience can believe in you, you must believe in yourself – even the bits you don’t like; smile and breathe, breathe and smile.