[Marianne]

Hi Sunbug!

Wow, thank you so so much for your beautifully detailed response to my post of my paper. It is a delight to read all that you have done with the world of dance and your thoughts. I have to mention here that most the ballet I did was when I was from about 4-14. I then quit the lessons I had all those years and then at 15 did join in an after-school dance class that was a lot of ballet. Later I took some modern dance classes. I do not have the experience you have–I write mostly from my memories of dance (even though I still dance even in my older age as a sort of exercise and do teach my granddaughter what I can remember)! I will have to give your observations and questions, I feel, a good deal of further thought if I were to do your questions with all your experience and knowledge “justice.” Thank you again for responding so richly and enthusiastically–I am grateful that you enjoyed my paper–and I will get back with you again and hopefully when I do it will not take me as long this time–

I am looking into the circumstances on some of your questions to refresh my memory and I am not certain I have seen all the same performances you are referring to, to will have to look into that! I do think it is all about longing, every bit of it in the Land of the Sweets. Also the younger Clara/Marie and the older Clara/Marie, I have often felt that it is the younger Clara/Marie and her Prince looking upon themselves as older–seeing themselves as older because in a way it is about Clara’s/Marie’s movement into adolescence on the verge of a romantic/sexual awakening.

Gratefully, with joy,

Marianne