I want to fly. Wearing a beautiful costume, brand-new satin pointe shoes…I want to fly.

I’ve wanted to fly ever since I was a little girl, when my mommy took me to see my first ballet. The Nutcracker. I watched all those girls, dancing across the stage, with my eyes stretched to saucers and mouth hanging open. Two weeks later, I started my first classical ballet class.

But I couldn’t fly right away. First there was the pliés, knee bends, curtsies…but I wanted to fly. “Patience,” my teacher would say, “You must walk before you can run.”

So, I first learned to walk. Every day, I went to class, every day, I got a little better. And now, here I am.

There’s my cue. The music is at that interval…and now, now that I am about to fly, I have my moment of doubt. Can I really do it? What if I fall?

And the curtain rises. And int that swell of music…I do it. I fly.