I Danced With Passion To Spite The

The First Year With Abt I Learned 13 New Roles. Most Were Lengthy Ballets, More Complicated Than I Was Used To. I Have Suffered From Tendinitis Since I Was 13, And It Flared Up Again Until The Pain Was Paralyzing. There Were Times I Prayed I'd Be Sick So I Wouldn't Have To Go On.

Classical Virtuosity Is More Than Technique, Line, Proportion, And Balance. It Is As If The Performer And Spectator Come Together To Hold In Their Hands A Bird With A Broken Wing. The Creature Can Be Felt To Stir, To Struggle For Freedom. Its Life Responds To Human Warmth; Its Wing Might Brush Your Check As It Flies Away.

Fortunately For Children, The Uncertainties Of The Present Always Give Way To The Enchanted Possibilities Of The Future.

Ballet Is A Riddle Of Means And Ends.

The Dance Goes On Forever. So Shall I. So Shall We.