Clair-de-Lune
Dancers are different. We know it, we feel it, and the rest of the world, even the arts world, tell us we are not like anyone else. The media, academia, and science are slowly accepting our differences, but they aren't yet sure how to classify dancers. Scientific studies have recently indicated a genetic difference in dancers and the world of philosophy admits there is a contrast, but they can't quite explain it no matter how many abstractions they apply. To the outside world, dancers are part of a newly emerging art form that was formerly looked upon as a sort of ephemeral cult open to a select few.
Because of our differences, the world of dance teaches tolerance early in a career and demonstrated it long before it was a politically correct social attitude. Dance requires dedication, sacrifices, and acceptances atypical of the average person or artist because the dancer's medium is his or her own body. This represents a staggering amount of discipline applied to the physical, mental, and emotional faculties of the dancer that don't apply to other art forms. Others rely on brushes, scripts, words, etc. to create art. Dancers have only their bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits with which to fabricate a work. Our difference makes us hard to "catch" by the criticisms and opinions of those whose lives are spent on arts commentary.
Consequently, when a work of fiction comes along that keenly identifies the blurry distinctions between dancers and others; it is something of which to take note. The new children's book Clair-de-Lune by Cassandra Golds (Random House Children's Books, March 2006) is a magical piece that superbly employs the subtle differences as justifications for the choices a dancer makes to live in the world.
Clair-de-Lune is a young ballet student in a time long since past who lives with her grandmother, the former ballerina, "La Nuit." Clair-de-Lune is the child of another famous ballerina, "La Lune," who died on stage after a performance of the dying swan. La Lune died of a broken heart because she was forbidden by the ballet to have a relationship with Clair-de-Lune's father. Since the sad and untimely death of her mother, Clair-de-Lune has never spoken a word. The only language she speaks is that of the dance.
Although dance is reputed for its acceptance of others regardless of difference, if the dance is somehow threatened by that difference, barriers of all kinds will fly up in protection of the dance. Many dancers sacrifice love and long term commitments in exchange for a career. Students to teachers have stories of lost romances, human and otherwise, that have left the dancer alone in his or her career and moved away into the "real" world. Dancers are left to love dancers for better or worse. It seems as if outsiders are not allowed to love dancers and those who try are in for a rough road.
Clair-de-Lune is a tender, beautiful story of a young girl witnessing just such loss. Her mother lost her father because of ballet and her grandmother is determined not to allow such a "wasteful" activity as true love to interfere with Clair-de-Lune's training. La Nuit does everything within her powers, real and magical, to isolate the promising Clair-de-Lune from people and the world in the hopes of "saving" her from the same pitiful ending as her mother. When the little girl shows the same amazing potential for artistry on stage, her grandmother is even more determined to imprison her grand-daughter in the ballet world to carry on her mother's career. When Clair-de-Lune befriends a talking, dancing mouse named Bonaventure, everything changes for the whole cast. Her grandmother's well-meaning efforts are thwarted by the mouse's attempts to help his dancing friend find her real voice by introducing Clair-de-Lune to someone who begins the challenge of teaching her to speak and, most importantly, to listen.
In the beginning, La Nuit fails to see that her talented grand-daughter is destined to know the answers to the mysteries of her voice and the identity of her father. In her own way, her grandmother tried to save little Clair-de-Lune from the pain of a lost love, but lost love has a wonderful way of finding its way home.
Golds' book is perfect for young ballet students and well written with lush language and just enough of the ballet sprinkled throughout the pages to entice many teachers as well. The parallels of life as a dancer evident in the story are comforting and empowering. It is the world of a ballet dancer animated by the powers of the heart.
Clair-de-Lune
Cassandra Golds
Random House Children's Books
Ages 7-14
208 pages