The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir

The song “At the Ballet” from the musical A Chorus Line is based on Kelly Bishop’s formative childhood experiences. The song describes her father’s coldness and infidelities, her mom’s unintentionally hurtful opinion that Bishop would be striking rather than pretty, and how ballet classes provided an escape from these painful realities. In The Third Gilmore Girl, “At the Ballet” becomes a motif illustrating The Fulfillment Derived from Artistic Expression. It represents Bishop’s journey of discovering who she is through her connection to dance.

The author conveys how her first informal ballet lessons with her mom “lit a fire in me that ended up defining my future” (28). Igniting her passion for the performing arts, the lessons provided the purpose that had hitherto been lacking in Bishop’s life, giving her “something I cared about, something I could wake up every morning looking forward to, something I could learn to be good at and proud of” (28). In addition to provoking creative passion, the lessons introduced Bishop to the rewards of having talent steered by discipline. For the first time, she discovered an activity where she needed no encouragement to work hard. The author also conveys how ballet classes prompted the beginnings of her self-confidence.