Of course “Break a Leg!” is a term that has long been used in the theater world. It seems very inappropriate if taken literally. For our use today, the term is full of feelings of endearment and best wishes for those talented ballerinas from Copey who performed in The Nutcracker over the weekend…without any broken limbs.
I am so happy this opportunity came along for these young ballerinas, for their talented instructor, Eve Solomon, and for the community. This helps prove that good things can happen when you share the gifts you have been blessed with. Eve and I can attest that when you have a vision and you act on it with faith, it becomes an amazing journey for everyone involved.
Probably none of the ballerinas spent their first day of ballet practice imagining they would be performing on the “big stage” in front of a thousand people in such a short time. The community center where they practiced perhaps was not the best equipped or most suitable facility to train aspiring young ballerinas. Other items including shoes and clothing unique to ballet may not have been comparable to those seen typically in local ballet studios. Regardless, none of these less than perfect conditions out weighed the dedication and commitment both the instructor and her students demonstrated. The following is a short report from Eve: ”
“This past weekend eight of my students achieved their dream of dancing in the national production of The Nutcracker here in Costa Rica. These young girls showed their community that through hard work and a little bit of faith, the seemingly impossible can become a reality.
After months waking up as early as 3:00 a.m. to attend rehearsals in San José, they had their on-stage debut on Saturday, December 6th and danced again on Sunday, December 7th in front of a packed house of one thousand people, including more than sixty community members who came from Copey to see them perform. These students learned that through perseverance and dedication, they can achieve their dreams, a lesson that will hopefully stay with them in their future endeavors”. by Eve Solomon
Several of the ballerinas are on the front line above and in the foreground in the photos below. They are beautiful and simply angelic in their costumes.
One can only imagine what they were feeling as they moved about the stage in unison with the music and the stage set participating with other ballerinas. And one can only imagine the pride and joy their families and others felt who attended from Copey watching their daughters on the stage of the National Theater performing ballet. In my view, the community may have enjoyed the unique role of representing all the small and rural communities in Costa Rica.
Trust me, there is something very special about this small town and we are part of that something special.
As Eve points out, this effort took a great deal of hard physical work, dedication, and sacrifices to position them in the right place at the right time when the opportunity to perform in The Nutcracker came knocking. Thank you ballerinas, Eve, and Marcela (pictured below) for bringing us all closer to Copey and the Learning Center.
In closing, we know that when opportunity is knocking on your door, you must be prepared to answer it. It was about this time a year ago when the opportunity could be heard knocking for the “Friends of Copey”. We are very happy to have been in the right place at the right time…for all of us.
“Break a Leg!”
Simply a beautiful experience indeed!