The Pirouette
I still have my
very first pair of pointe shoes.
I ended up with
quite a collection, but only kept this first pair. The collection included different
sizes over the years and even different colors to match certain costumes for performances. Some would only last a few days of the
Nutcracker before being worn out. All would be molded perfectly to my feet
after hours of practice.
But it’s the first
pair that marks the milestone of accomplishing the feat of twirling on my toes.
And twirl I did. Before the pointe
shoes, there were arabesques and grand jetés. But with
the pointe shoes came the real fun = the pirouettes. Pointe shoes took twirling on the balls of my
feet to twirling on my toes.
The French word
pirouette literally means “to whirl about.”
One pirouette is fun. But two or three…that is when the whirling really
begins. And the secret to the pirouette
is:
Spotting.
Without getting
too technical, spotting is simply locking your eyes on one singular object and
remaining fixated on it as your body turns until the very last
millisecond. Then the head snaps
bringing the eyes 360 degrees and until the gaze locks immediately back on the
singular focus. Spotting keeps the dancer in balance. And allows for not just
one, but sometimes two or more pirouettes to whirl about all while keeping a
consistent focus.
Sometimes when I
click the remote turning on the news, glance at the Yahoo news highlights of
the day, or check the Facebook news feed, it seems that a great deal is “whirling.”
It’s easy to get caught up emotions of the
latest tragedy, the debate of the most recent political issues taking center
stage, or the opinions referencing the latest media news stories.
That’s when it’s time
for me to remember “spotting.” To keep
what’s whirling around in balance, I need a singular focus.
“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of
faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
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1 comments:
This is beautifully written, Ranelle.
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