Ballet Perfomance

To celebrate the birthday of my late mother on July's First Thursday my friend Sally Rousse performed a short ballet of my mother's life and death. It was an amazing impromptu dance that was arranged only days earlier and commenced without announcement. It was a touching and deeply moving piece to say the least. Many in the room were moved to tears within the first few minutes and were obviously affect by the sheer beauty and magic of Sally's trained and improvised movements. The unexpected unfolded as we watched her pour salt across the room, kick at props, twirl herself into bolts of fabric, and finally lay down and stare into the audience with the abject vacuous eyes of a woman without recourse. Applause was slow to follow as we sat stunned by the sheer power of the six minute piece choreographed to Leonard Cohen's Dance me to the End of Love.

"Dance Me To The End Of Love"

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love