Friday, July 6, 2007

What an inspiration!

(Literally dancing in Times Square, Alys Shee turns into an instant tourist attraction. She is in New York City attending the American Ballet Theatre summer intensive program. )
Her flowing hair, her delicate hands, her long lean legs... I was completely mesmerized by this photo.

Saw this article Leapin' leotards! in Toronto Star today about a Canadian girl chasing her dream in ballet in New York City. I was just like "Wow!".

"Alys Shee is dancing on Broadway. The 13-year-old Canadian ballet student is literally performing smack in the centre of Times Square. Momentarily airborne during a grand jeté, a photographer snaps her picture.

She looks like an angel floating through the air. Her grandmother named her Alys (pronounced Alice), taken from a novel about a 14th-century nun. Dressed in a white leotard and tights, Alys looks as pure as her namesake.

Tourists stop and watch. Some take out their cameras and contribute to the Times Square flash. A little boy tries to imitate her. Within minutes, Alys has become a full-blown tourist attraction.

"Don't forget to smile, Alys!" her mother, Melanie Simpson, shouts. "Point those feet!" It would be easy to mistake Simpson for a stage mom, considering the location.

The crowd soon leaves but Alys continues to jump. Sixteen times, to be exact, until she is satisfied with the placement of her fingers to her very pointed toes. Her perfectionism is typical for a dancer.

"I tend to wake up when I dance," she says. It's around 11 p.m.. She has been up since 6:45 a.m. and has been in dance class all day.

This summer, Alys was accepted into New York City's prestigious American Ballet Theatre summer intensive program. One of six Canadians, the only one from Toronto."

I hope this driven young lady becomes a world-famour ballerina someday.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What an inspiring story! Beautiful girl and beautifully written!