Genius is another word for magic, and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable.
—Margot Fonteyn, English ballerina
’Tis the season for The Nutcracker. From extravagant creations produced by professional companies like the Pennsylvania Ballet and American Ballet Theatre to humble productions offered by community ballet schools, The Nutcracker is an annual treat of magic, music, and dance.
© Copyright William Starkey and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
The first time I saw the ballet I was as frightened of Herr Drosselmeyer and the Mouse King as young Clara was. I was more interested in Clara’s story and her trip to the Kingdom of the Sweets than in all the “boring” dances. Each year my appreciation for the ballet grew. As a piano student, I soon focused on Tchaikovsky’s evocative music. Eventually, I fell under the spell of the main event: the dancing.
One young dancer in Wilmington, Delaware, will be onstage this season dancing three roles in the First State Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker. However, she will not be seeing visions of sugar plums. Unlike the others onstage with her, Jamie Meyer is legally blind.
When she was thirteen years old, Jamie was diagnosed with Startgardt disease, a type of macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss. Fortunately, she has studied ballet since the age of three and so mastered the technical basics of ballet before she began losing her vision. Her fellow dancers at First State Ballet did not realize she had visual impairments until she revealed her secret in October 2014.
How often do we make excuses for ourselves when we come up against any obstacles? Whether we are trying to master a new skill or finish our latest novel, how often do we excuse our lack of progress?
“I was sick.”
“I work full-time.”
“I’m studying for finals.”
Students of the Brighton Ballet Theatre
Imagine performing intricate dance moves onstage that require perfect unison with other dancers—and you cannot clearly see them? How many times was Jamie Meyer tempted to quit because her vision continued to deteriorate even as she progressed from ballet student to professional ballerina? Talk about someone with a strong will and unwavering faith in herself and her talent.
The body can do amazing things in a situation when it is really called for.
—Suzanne Farrell, American ballerina
Although many of us focus on the dancing snowflakes, flowers, and Sugar Plum Fairy, I had it right as a child: the heart of The Nutcracker is the faith and devotion of one little girl. That faith and devotion are perfect reflections of the strength it takes to be a ballet dancer, which is a short and difficult career. Some dancers, like Jamie Meyer, face even more difficult challenges than the typical ballet dancer. But they dance on, because they love to dance.
We all need the same faith and devotion to achieve our own dreams.
What obstacles are getting in the way of your dreams? What are you going to do about it?