Scene 20

Scene Twenty...Audition # 2
Time: Morning, Saturday, February 23, 1946
Place: Ballet School
Storyteller: Janet


"Madame, thank you for driving us again. Didn't know there would be two auditions," I say.

"This is a good sign that they are considering you," replies Madame.

Mom is curious about Brodskys. "Isn't Sergey from Russia?"

"Yes. He attended 'Leningrad State Choreographic School' for eight years. His teacher was the famous Agrippina Vaganova. After graduation Sergey traveled with the 'Kirov Ballet Company.' In 1933 he was able to defect when on tour in Paris."

"Oh, this must have something to do with the Russian Revolution," says Mom.

"Yes, the communist party limited artistic freedom, but even before that, there was an increase in Jewish persecution in eastern Europe. That gave Sergey two reasons to leave Russia.

"How did he meet Anna?" I ask.

"He was hired by my old school, the 'Paris Opera Ballet,' where Anna danced. They married, but soon moved to New York City to teach at the 'School of American Ballet.' Sergey and the founder, George Balanchine, were both born in St. Petersburg, renamed Leningrad after the revolution."

"They moved from glamorous New York to Florida?" Did I hear that right?

"In 1938 Balanchine relocated his company to Hollywood, California. At that time Brodskys decided to move to South Beach, known in the Jewish community as 'A shtetl by the sea.' Shtetl means 'east European village' in the Yiddish language."

"And here we are, at Sergey and Anna's ballet school by the sea," I chime in as we park the Chevy.

"They live nearby at the Corsair Hotel. It's next to Pier Park, where they can dance to live music a few nights a week,"says Madame.

Only Anna greets us. She takes me through the building blocks of ballet, the five basic positions.

First position: Heels together. Toes of both feet pointed out to both sides. Legs turned out.

Second position: Similar to first, except feet are hip-width apart.

Third position: Start in first. Move one heel to line up with the middle of the other foot. Feet are still pointed in opposite directions.

Fourth position: One foot in front of other, pointed opposite directions. The heel of front foot lined up with the toes of the back foot.

Fifth position: Like fourth, only no gap between feet. Toes perfectly lined up with heels.

In walks Sergey. He motions for Anna to come up to the east windows.

I'm frozen in fifth. My legs are straight and turned out. This is the most difficult position.

Brodskys are having a disagreement in French. Not too loud. Madame might over-hear.

I remain a statue in fifth position.

Sergey's face is red. He storms out.

Anna is embarrassed. She promises to be in touch.

What were they fighting about? I ponder this all the way home, while Mom and Madame chat about ancient history.


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