Allegro, Arabesque, Assemblé
Climb those steep stairs for the third time this week with a sparkle in my eyes
The dark fraying rug comforts my run up the stairs and allows me to wonder
What will I learn, what will I laugh about,
What will I dance today?
Balancé, Battement, Battu
Open the door, I'm briefly blinded by the new red paint stuck to the walls
I've arrived at my second home
Already I hear giggling and bubbly voices of girls preparing for class
I pass the stiff brown chairs to enter the dressing room
Curtsy, Chassé, Changement
Enter the cramped dressing room and I see clothes and dance shoes strewn about
Mirrors and paintings nailed to the pale walls give inspiration whenever needed
Navigating around bobby pins and girls stretching looking for a place to put my bag
Sit on the wooden cubbies we use as chairs and put on my slippers
Demi-plié, Dégagé, Développé
Happily talk with my friends as I walk into class
The sticky wood floor shines with the sun's reflection
I stare into the floor-to-ceiling mirror, piercingly true
And jokingly question what steps it will show me today
Effacé, Échappé, Entrechat
Go to the black barre with white tape to begin class
Smile as I stretch my leg on the slippery barre
Soon class begins, and I gaze longingly at the photograph of the ballerina
Performing perfectly on pointe
Fondu, Fouetté, Frappé
Class continues and I can feel the sweat on my back
The room has the humidity of a mid-July day
The poles in the middle of the floor block my view of the teacher
As she demonstrates on the teacher's barre – cold, metal, old
Glissade, Grand Jeté, Grand Plié
Repeat the combination precisely and I
Might receive a rare compliment from my teacher
I dance the preparation
And find that same sparkle in my eyes
Climb those steep stairs for the third time this week with a sparkle in my eyes
The dark fraying rug comforts my run up the stairs and allows me to wonder
What will I learn, what will I laugh about,
What will I dance today?
Balancé, Battement, Battu
Open the door, I'm briefly blinded by the new red paint stuck to the walls
I've arrived at my second home
Already I hear giggling and bubbly voices of girls preparing for class
I pass the stiff brown chairs to enter the dressing room
Curtsy, Chassé, Changement
Enter the cramped dressing room and I see clothes and dance shoes strewn about
Mirrors and paintings nailed to the pale walls give inspiration whenever needed
Navigating around bobby pins and girls stretching looking for a place to put my bag
Sit on the wooden cubbies we use as chairs and put on my slippers
Demi-plié, Dégagé, Développé
Happily talk with my friends as I walk into class
The sticky wood floor shines with the sun's reflection
I stare into the floor-to-ceiling mirror, piercingly true
And jokingly question what steps it will show me today
Effacé, Échappé, Entrechat
Go to the black barre with white tape to begin class
Smile as I stretch my leg on the slippery barre
Soon class begins, and I gaze longingly at the photograph of the ballerina
Performing perfectly on pointe
Fondu, Fouetté, Frappé
Class continues and I can feel the sweat on my back
The room has the humidity of a mid-July day
The poles in the middle of the floor block my view of the teacher
As she demonstrates on the teacher's barre – cold, metal, old
Glissade, Grand Jeté, Grand Plié
Repeat the combination precisely and I
Might receive a rare compliment from my teacher
I dance the preparation
And find that same sparkle in my eyes
This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.
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