Day: May 17, 2021

When the curtain rose in the palace theater, a collective gasp erupted in the room. There stood Princess Pirouette in black leotards, pink tutu and a wide collar around her neck that looked like giant daisy petals. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun. Standing perfectly still, her hands met in front of her in a wide arc, as if she were gathering something. Pirouette’s face was a monument of composure, even though there was only a smattering of applause at first; however, when the old King was seen to clap his hands, the rest of the court followed suit enthusiastically.

All of a sudden, the strains of a minuet rose from the orchestra pit and a troupe of dancers, male and female, in elaborate costumes, filled the stage. They were dressed to look like fish, birds and animals of the field. At first they formed a semi-circle around Princess Pirouette, but then they began to dance with her from this side of the stage to that. Her arms and legs moved in time to the music and the fluidity of her motions gave one a sensation of sublime pleasure. From the audience, GarGar, le comte des Deux Chats was seen to press a hand against his heart and then blow a kiss at the ballerina soloist.