Currents December 2019 Dec 2019 _Currents web | Page 21

Currents December 2019 21 > continued from page 19 Jacko’s Complete Auto Ser vice Oil Change $29.95 with/ Coupon (HASMAT $6.95) FREE Tire Rotation with Oil Change on most cars Exp. 12-31-2019 Air Conditioning Service — Brake Service — Radiator Service Engine Tune-up — Transmission Tune-up — Mufflers Pre-Emission Testing — Other General Repairs 1141 W. McNab Road Pompano Beach, FL 33069 Corner of McNab and Andrews what to expect, but my friend didn’t. She stared wide-eyed as the dancers strained to make their movements seem effortless. They were all perspiring profusely, panting from the long, wind- ing sequences they had to perform, and flushed from exertion. She gasped when the dancers raced into the wings and collapsed on the floor to catch their breath. She gazed in concern as she saw how the veins under the dancers’ arms or in their neck were swollen with strain. Her body tensed as if she were “dancing” along with the performers. Only when the curtain fell, did she relax. After having seen the same show twice, my friend asked me a deceptively easy question. Which Nut- cracker was real – the one seen from the front or the one seen from the wings? Her question was very much to the point because in ballet, as in all theater, there exists a dichotomy between reality and illusion. The simplest answer was that the real Nutcracker was the one seen by the audience, but this answer implied that the one seen from the wings was an illu- sion. That is certainly not the case since there is nothing more “real” than the physical strain of ballet. So I amended my original answer. The audi- ence, I explained, was sheltered from the unromantic reality of ballet because they saw the dancers from a distance. Once again, I was not satisfied with this explanation because it was tantamount to admitting that what the audience saw was an illusion. Maybe the only answer to her question is that ballet is a mixture of reality and illusion. This art form respects certain criteria - the stage, the distance, the lights as well as the stylized body language that con- veys the dancers’ message. But the criteria create an illusion because they require that the unnatural appear natural and easy. The apparent effortless quality of ballet is indeed an illusion, as my friend discovered while watching the performance from the wings. But after all, this illusion is indeed the reality of ballet. email: [email protected] Visit us at www.jackosautorepair.com 954-783-1999 All Foreign and Domestic Cars Lic MV76687 ASE Certified Sun., Dec. 22, 2019 - Mon., Dec. 30, 2019 Elite Nails spa 2766 W. Atlantic Blvd. • Pompano Beach, FL 33069 (Close to Palm Aire • 1 Block W. of Powerline/Atlantic intersection. Next door to Dunkin Donuts.) 954-933-2734 Appointment or Walk-In Special Every Day! Gel Full Set • Regular Price $35.00 $5.00 off $30.00 • Pedicure Manicure Combo $30.00 (Please tell us you saw our ad in Currents for Combo price) • Eyebrow Waxing $7.00 • Eyebrow Threading $7.00