A DANCER'S LIFE

It was a long time ago when it all began. I was three years old when my mother took me to my first ballet class; ten tiny tots in pink leotards, pink tights, pink ballet shoes, with hair drawn back into a bun at the nape of each pink neck. We donned our “fairy crowns” pointed our toes, softened our arms and delighted in our new found world of dance. I was a confirmed balletomane within the hour. As I skipped home clutching my mother’s hand, I regaled her with every detail of the class only to repeat the description two more times for my brother and father. At bedtime I informed Daddy that when I grew up I would be a dancer; it
was not a dream but the beginning of an amazing journey and career.

Moulin Rouge ********** Aston Martin Girl-DBS and DBS5 ***** First Role

Dancers are trained from an early age. It is essential, as the body must be molded, developed and strengthened in a specific ilk in order to permit the dancer to achieve maximum “turn out” which in layman’s terms is rotation of the hip joint outward, to be strong yet lissome, agile and flexible, capable of physical feats that must appear effortless, dedicated to perfection, a consummate artist, willing to bind bleeding toes and dance on and to return every day to the “barre” for renewed preparation and improvement.

Dance teachers can develop or damage a dancer. I was blessed with the best possible training from the age of three until I graduated and commenced my professional career. There can be hurdles along the way and for me there was a major difficulty when I was sixteen. My first love has always been classical ballet. During the 60’s, I was the recipient of the Mabel Ryan Award, a medal for ballet, competed for annually in Great Britain and awarded to the best English dancer trained in the Cecchetti method. Dame Beryl Grey adjudicated the competition and presented me with the medal. This is an honor which continues to this day to bring me great joy.

One to two weeks after this day of joy and accomplishment, the director of the Royal Ballet School called me to her office and gently informed me that, despite my ability, she did not think I could succeed in the balletic world because my bones and skeletal frame were large where as ballet dancers are fine boned and petite. She advised to me transfer into The Arts Educational College which offered musical theater training and modern dance as well as ballet.

My world collapsed - but not for long. I wanted to dance, to perform, to be an artist and if a ballet company was not in my future, musical theater sounded amazing. And it was. After graduating as a dancer in ballet, modern, national and musical theater, with a specialty in choreography, the world became my oyster – truly! I had the privilege of

dancing on three continents for fifteen years, followed by another fifteen years of teaching in my own studio and as a guest teacher.

And true to the dancer that I will always be, I am still learning. I’m taking tap lessons!

Diana Silvester-Flink
GRI, ABR, BA
508 965-3646
February 1, 2008

To visit Diana's website click here.