Dancing with Disappointment: A Cinderella Story Reimagined
Have you ever wanted something so much that you could feel your cells yearning? Today, I’d like to share a story where romanticized expectations are harshly confronted by awkward reality. I hope you’ll be entertained in a way that helps you reflect on the power of fluid expectations, finding resilience in disappointment, and discovering unexpected strengths within yourself.
The cast list for Cinderella would be announced today; our very small company's first, full-length ballet. I told everyone that I was hoping for the Fairy Godmother, but I was truly bursting with desire to be cast in the lead. Rumor had it that we would be working with a REAL LIVE BOY as our prince. We were giddy with anticipation.
As the cast list was posted, I saw my name - not under the Godmother, but under CINDERELLA. I was the lead. I would be the girl dancing with the REAL LIVE BOY - lifted, turned, and cared for. Maybe I would fall in love... Never mind all that - it was time to get to work!
The day came for the first private rehearsal between me and my Prince. I was petrified. What if he didn’t like me? What if he was a better dancer than me? What if he thought our little company was trying too hard to be legit? I was a bundle of nerves.
I knew his name was Craig and that he had a few years experience on the stage. I stood rigid as I awaited his arrival, my prepubescent body quaking like a long, flat board resting against the wall in the middle of a windstorm Visions of all of the Prince Charming’s from the Disney movies danced through my head as stress-induced pimples pricked their way to the surface of my chin.
The door opened to reveal my Prince, or rather, a man who looked like my prince’s grandfather. Craig was in his very late 40’s, with silver streaks running through his hair, tights that hung too low, and an unfortunate missing dance belt ( the piece of clothing that holds the male anatomy “together” under tights). I was deflated.
He was nice enough, but not nearly the ballet star I had imagined. Rather, he was a warm body with some weekends to spare. But the most challenging aspect of our partnership would prove to be his lack of partnering skills. Every tour jete into a fish had me praying silently for my life to be spared. I smelled the floor more in our pas de deux than I ever did during modern class - if you know you know…
As the performance date neared, I knew that my job was to make it look like we were in love. Every part of my body was screaming “NO - NOT THIS PRINCE” but I had to make it work. I found that if I stared at the point right between his forehead wrinkles, I could make a “love face” without spontaneously combusting. I would feign love with this man who was the same age as my father 🤢 and make this work.
The night of the performance, as the final lift of the pas de deux approached, I said to myself “Jump HIGH, Jenna!” I reasoned that if I jumped higher it would give him more time to catch me and less chance of breaking my neck. I jumped and he missed, but caught me clumsily around the thighs. My body went limp like one of those car-wash-blow-up-dolls, and the tip of my nose grazed the floor to a soundtrack of sharp inhales from the audience. Just as quickly as I had deflated, I blew back up into a backbend, lifting my chest into that fish - I would not go out like this! We finished the pas, the ballet, and our partnership, then and there.
Rows of dancers took their bows to polite applause. I avoided eye contact as Craig took my hand and walked me on stage. But as he sent me forward for a solo bow, the hall erupted. I looked out to see people applauding wildly while shaking their heads with sympathy as if to say “I can’t believe you didn’t die.” Me neither.
There's a certain magic in stepping onto the stage with a dream in your heart and a prince who doesn't quite fit the mold. While my childhood fantasies of soaring with a dashing ballet boy evaporated along with Craig's missing dance belt, something far more profound took their place.
I learned that the true magic of dance and life doesn't reside solely in graceful lifts and fairy godmothers. It lives in the resilience that blooms when expectations crumble, in the humor found in the midst of awkwardness, and in the unexpected strengths that surface when we learn to adapt and shine. If I’m being honest 😏, while my prince wasn't exactly charming, and our pas de deux more of a stumble-and-recover, they became a cherished chapter in my dance diary, a reminder that sometimes, the most enchanting stories are those born from the unexpected, where resilience becomes the most graceful move of all.
Actual footage of Craig and I captured seconds before the back bend....
This image of my nose almost grazing the stage still makes me chuckle. It was a moment of utter humiliation, yes, but also a turning point. It forced me to dig deep, to find the unexpected resilience buried within my bruised ego.
Today, when I see others wrestling with their own disappointing realities, it's like watching them face their own metaphorical face-plant. And I want to be the one who reminds them of the backbend, the one who helps them transform that fall into a breathtaking flight.
That's why I coach. That's why I offer my hand to others as they navigate the dance floor of life, and business, because sometimes, all it takes is one supportive guide to turn a stumbled pirouette into a triumphant grand jeté. Are you ready to take flight? Let's dance.
✌️ Coach JZ
