Hockey and Ballet

This is the time of year when my daughter dances with her ballet company in a major production of the Nutcracker. This is also the time of year when the NHL is settling into the grind of the regular season. At first glance, one might think that there is no comparison between the two, but I am here to tell you that ballerinas are the hockey players of the dance world. Seriously.

You have recently seen Nik Kronwall get a puck in the face and return to the bench with a few stitches. Maybe you saw Val Filppula nearly crawling off the ice, seemingly mortally wounded, only to return the next game, with nothing amiss. These are professional hockey players, and this is expected. Now let me tell you some of the things I have heard and seen over the past few years while working behind the scenes at the Nutcracker.

From a 9 year old Butterfly: "My foot hurts"
Her Mom: "How bad? Can you walk?
Butterfly: "I don't think so, it really really hurts"
Mom: "Ok, I'll tell them you cant do it tomorrow"
Butterfly: "Oh I can dance, I just cant walk"

From the 18 year old Phoenix: "got any Motrin?"
Me: "Yep, need one?"
Phoenix: "Better give me three, I think I slipped a disc and I have to lift someone in an hour"

From my Daughter: "Look at this" (shows me a huge bruise on her knee)
Me: "Wow! Does that hurt?"
Daughter: "Yeah, it hurts...do you think the audience will see it through my tights?"

From a Ballerina with many parts to another Ballerina: "Was that your foot i heard pop?"
Other Ballerina: "Yeah, the doc thinks I might have fractured it"
First Ballerina: "Ouch, do you have an understudy?"
Other Ballerina: "Yeah, but she has another part. I'm just gonna tape it"

And the list goes on and on, and the surprises keep coming. There is one phrase that I have heard both on the hockey benches and in the ballet dressing rooms:

"Tape it, I'm going back in."

Oh, and the Red Wings destroyed the Jets, 7-1 on Saturday. I was at the ballet handing out ice packs...