Yesterday I posted about my former students at Knoxville Ballet School who worked like crazy to achieve high marks on their American Ballet Theatre Affiliate exams, and three of them who went on to attend the Young Dancer Summer Workshop at ABT in August 2012 after a successful video audition.  I wanted to share images of my kids in their last day of classes at ABT. It happened to be my birthday, and it came just before my big reboot and move to Vermont. It was a bittersweet day for me, but also the best possible way to celebrate the mid-century mark in my life. That is monkey #1 in the photo up there.

And that is fearless monkey #2, who attended YDSW at ABT in NYC for three consecutive summers.

And here is leggy and beautiful monkey #3.

Two weeks earlier they had attended placement classes with a couple hundred of their young colleagues. And luckily they were all placed in the same level. I think this was good for them their first time at ABT, and certainly convenient for me when I came to observe them.

When HCB and I traveled to my erstwhile home state of Tennessee last month I was able to visit with monkey #1 and her mama. I was thrilled to hear she is preparing for her first Youth America Grand Prix (classical ballet) competition, coming up in a couple of months. We talked for a long time about the rehearsal process, about her classes, and about constructive criticism.

Then recently I saw this rehearsal photo of her and obtained permission from her parents to share it. I wish all my students well, whichever paths they follow. And I wish them all a fire in their bellies.