The Ballet Recital: Dancing for the Stars

Mercury shivered as she tugged at the heavy, maroon stage curtain and peeped out at the crowd gathered for her initial ballet recital. Her ballet instructor saw her standing there and quickly walked over to her.

"It's your night, Mercury," she whispered, softly. "Tonight you are dancing for the stars."

"There are so many people here. I don't know if I can do this."

"Remember that you are dancing for the stars, Mercury, not for the crowd. If you dance for the stars, the crowd will dance in their hearts, too."

This was a very important performance for Mercury, as her college scholarship depended upon this particular ballet recital.

The piano music had been orchestrated beautifully for Mercury. Her costume was soft, long and flowing for light, graceful and fluid movements. She knew her positions and precise, formalized dance steps well after having spent hours and hours practicing them.

"Remember, there are rising stars and falling stars, as well as shooting stars," her instructor had advised her.
"You are a rising star."

Mercury did not really pay much attention to the instructor's introduction to her performance, as her mind was totally focused on her ballet dancing. She marveled, when she realized that the music for her dance recital had now been synchronized with the twinkling of the stars.

"That is beautiful and so perfect," she thought, as she prepared to go onstage for her performance. She smoothed the tiny ruffles on her ballet costume and carefully tied her pointed ballet slippers. "I am ready!" she decided.

Moments later, Mercury took her position onstage in front of a simple backdrop of snow covered, mountain peaks and gazed up at the twinkling stars, totally oblivious to the expectant audience. The recital was flawless, until one of the stars, a spotlight on the ceiling, suddenly came crashing down in one corner of the stage.

Mercury was momentarily startled, but her pianist kept right on playing, and so Mercury continued to dance for the other stars.

Several days later, the results of her recital were posted with this headline.

"A new, rising star usurps the throne of a falling star."

Mercury had succeeded and was awarded her ballet scholarship.