ballet, from the French
Ballet is from the French, from Earth-That-Was, from centuries and eons ago. All of its words are French as well. She knows them all, and they are all beautiful.

Arabesque is a leg and arm in front, a leg and arm behind; serpentine, linear, spiraling. From the Islamic style.

Plie - knees bent, back straight. From the Old French - plier, to fold, to bend.

Balance has to be said with the accent on the last syllable, ba-lahn-SAY. Otherwise it's a term for walking the knife's edge, razor-sharp over the canyons of fire.

Developpe - another word with the last syllable accented. Leg up towards the knee, holding and moving. Strength.

One can jete across the floor, almost flying.

When she learned the pirouette, she didn't want to do anything else. Spinning, spinning, spinning. It helped her forget.



She should be somewhere else.
She should be dancing.

But she isn't.