Ribbons

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism.

“For a moment, I felt as if one misstep would plunge me into the emptiness, falling forever. But after long weeks of rehearsal, the music had soaked into my very flesh. As I heard the familiar notes, my body remembered for me. My arms began to move gently, instinctively, to the music, and my torso started to sway.”

In this quote, Robin is on stage for her solo performance in The Nutcracker. Though Robin worries that she might forget the choreography, her body takes over, and she slips into the movements effortlessly. This moment helps emphasize Robin’s unique talent for ballet, suggesting that her skill is innate. Furthermore, in mentioning Robin’s body, arms, and torso, Laurence Yep notes the inherent physicality of dance.

“There was nothing like dance when everything went right—and nothing quite like it when everything went wrong. But at the moment, all was right in the world. I could have stood there forever, but the needle kept on its inexorable march, and the next dancers swept out.”

Here, Robin exults in the euphoria of dance. However, just as quickly as the applause erupts, so too does it die down, as the performance moves on and Robin is ushered off stage. As Robin learns, this feeling of euphoria can only ever be fleeting. This moment, though brief, sets the stage for the main conflict of the novel, when Robin realizes again just how quickly dance can be taken away.

“I shook my head, still in a daze. ‘Madame said something about my leaving school.’ Leah clutched at the neck of her coat, which she had thrown on over her costume. ‘What? You’re not going to break up the gang…,’ she protested.”

When Robin mentions to her friends, Amy, Leah, and Thomas, that she’ll likely be quitting lessons, her friends are understandably distressed. Tellingly, Leah regrets that Robin might “break up the gang,” emphasizing that ballet lessons, in addition to teaching technical skills, also provide a social outlet for Robin. Dance is more than just an art form: It encourages a sense of community.