Another Reunion

Quite some time ago, I wrote about our annual "Old Girls' Conversazione" at the high school I attended. Here is the link. In it I wrote about why I enjoy attending and the effect it has on me.

Yesterday I attended a reunion of my former ballet school. I hadn't been in that studio or seen many of those people for thirty six years. These days I'm in touch with two friends from my ballet days. One, J, I also went to school with; she left school at the end of Year 10 to pursue a career in dance and we stayed in touch, lost touch and then reconnected on Facebook. She was the one who invited me to the reunion. I invited the other one, S. (She knew about it already but I think my invitation sealed the deal for her.) We also lost touch, ran into each other and learnt we lived near each other and have spent the past ten or so years running into each other locally and saying we must catch up for coffee. We're also Facebook friends.

S drove me in so we spent nearly an hour bonding and sharing our stories in the car. We were both excited. I was also nervous that no one would remember me. As soon as we got there, we saw J, who had brought her mum, and the four of us had a great time catching up and reminiscing.

S had spent about ten years at the ballet school; I'd only spent three, having come from another one, and we both stopped around the same time. J, of course, stayed on longer than us so she knew far more people and was comfortable and confident walking around and chatting to people. S and I talked to fewer people but still had a great time.

J confided in me that she didn't want to come to any school reunions because she felt like she barely knew people from school. It hit me later that our positions were reversed. I love school functions. The people I met in my school days had a profound effect on who I was and who I became. The teachers and the older girls were my inspirations when I was at school. Our school motto was, "Not for School but for Life," and that has held true for me.

As I watched J in her element at the ballet reunion I understood that the people she met in her ballet days were the ones who had the effect on who she was and who she became and it was our ballet teacher and the older ballet students who were her inspirations.

I had fun being in the old studio, looking at the photos, seeing my former teacher (who has not aged one bit) and catching up with old acquaintances. I enjoyed the nostalgia of seeing the colour ice blue everywhere, hearing my former teacher ring her old bell to get our attention and walk the floor I'd once danced across. Over the years, I've sometimes wondered if giving up ballet was a mistake. It was clear to me, yesterday, however, that I have no regrets. It was an enjoyable afternoon and it gave me some closure.