Something Big & New

This is meant to be a summer blog...but today was too awesome to go unmentioned. Why was it awesome?

Because I got to share with Alex a world I once loved living in. I spent two years after graduation working for a ballet company, doing everything from marketing to box office to stage management (I bounced around a lot). I also grew up dancing, and Nutcracker is the biggest tradition in the dance world. But a crowded theater is an overwhelming prospect for my sensitive boy, so I didn't know if I could bring him there.

Because fifteen years ago I met a wonderful man named Douglas, who was then a dancer in the company. Now he's the artistic director. When I wrote and asked him to let me bring my autistic son to a dress rehearsal, he GOT it. And today, he made me feel entirely welcome.

Because when Alex squealed, "It's the Mouse King!" during a quiet moment in the party scene, Douglas came back and welcomed us. With that gesture, my amusement was allowed a victory over embarrassment. 

Because Alex met a few dancers, and every one was gracious and warm. I don't know that he will remember any of them, but I hope that he will remember that people were nice.

Because no one chased us out of any space we went, even backstage. Doug even invited us on stage after the show--though I was paranoid he would run into someone's way, so I ended that quickly.

Because hey, I saw a few people I recognized, and it was wonderful to be back in the space.

But most of all, because in the absence of a paying audience--and behavioral expectations--I could let Alex adjust on his own terms. We had never been in a real theater before, and even movie theaters are still a questionable prospect. A dark theater house with loud music and bright stage lights was going to be a big new environment to take in. He bounced a lot. When he sat, it was on the edge of the folded seat, sometimes with his feet on the seat back in front of him. He sat on the floor. He bounced back and forth in our empty row, staging his own battle with the Mouse King. And by the finale, he danced up the aisle, mimicking what he saw on stage.

Because THAT joyous connection was what I was hoping for, and he GOT THERE!

Because I was able to help him adjust to a new situation; because I got to watch him do it.

And because that's one more thing he CAN do.



I am ever so thankful for this adventure, and for all who made it possible. Happy Thanksgiving!