In order of appearance:
BM- The Ballet Master at my dance school. He is the pedagogical director, ballet instructor, psychoanalyst, mentor, friend, and support system to all of us.
Ballet D- The school where most of my story takes place. I am enrolled in the College Program, which comprises approximately 20 hours per week of ballet, modern, pointe, pilates, choreography, variations, and a show at the end of the year. Hopefully by then I’ll have figured out a way to pay my tuition.
AnSo- Fellow classmate and good friend. If we stretch together before class we don’t need to do our morning sit ups, because we make each other laugh so hard. She is known as Dolphin, named by BM for her flipper-like hands.
Hunky- Hmmm. How to describe my lovely boyfriend…? I’ll come back to this one.
Sis- My very biteable younger sister. She’s tiny. And gorgeous. With long dark hair, thick curly lashes, and a quick wit. I call her Schwaz, which loosely translated means best friend.
Schwaz- See Sis.
B-Girl- My closest friend apart from Schwaz. We’ve been friends since elementary school when I had a metal mouth and she was chubs. If we could love each other during those years, we can make it through anything together. And we’ve proven that time and again.
Fae- My absolute favourite choreographer in the whole world. I refer to her as Fae in my writing because of her sprite-like qualities. Her energy is boundless and her space-engulfing movement defies her compact petiteness. Fae has choreographed for our school’s final show these past two years. This year she only has time to choreograph on three students: me, Feathers, and La Citrouille.
La Citrouille- The boy in our class.
Feathers- Beautiful.
Mummygirl- I’m sure I don’t need to explain what a Mummygirl is. She’s my mum. We all have one. Mine is very particular about household tidiness. She is also the person I turn to whenever crisis hits. Mummygirl is like a universal morality meter. She always knows what’s right.
Grandma T- Writer, artist, lunch date, and grandma extraordinaire. No matter what or who I am up against, Gram is always on my side. She loves small acts of rebellion and a good conspiracy theory. My advice when chatting with Grandma T: pee first. Otherwise she’ll have you laughing until your pants are wet. This can be rather embarrassing (if you’re the sort who gets embarrassed easily.)
Auntie J and Unce Wise- Another case of pee first. Any subject matter with this duo can quickly escalate into a comedy routine. This is the cool aunt and uncle set you thought existed solely in familial lore. Auntie J is a film professor and Uncle Wise knows everything about sports and American snacks. J and Wise host Dinner and a Movie night with the Fink kids whenever we are all in Toronto. They have two kids of their own, ages 8 and 9.
NudgePapa- My other first cousins’ Hungarian grandfather. Married to the NudgeMama.
JB- The “B” stand for Boy. Or Brother. He is both. My sister and I take complete credit for how sweet he turned out. He may be the oldest but we cultivated his patience, compassion, and understanding of the female gender as soon as we exited the womb. He had no choice, really. He had to develop those traits or join the loony bin. Which would have been a shame since he is an extremely intelligent and talented upcoming lawyer. He also loves a good laugh.
Totoph-BM’s apprentice at Ballet D. He was selected, after extensive searching and trials, as ballet instructor for the level below my class. He was very eager to learn BM’s anatomical approach to ballet and has been loved at our school for over a year. Unfortunately, Totoph and his wife are leaving Quebec. His last day with us was at the show on Sunday December 14th, 2008. Our ballet teacher, rehearsal co-director, and pilates instructor will be genuinely missed.
Daddy-o- This should be as self-explanatory as a Mummygirl. A Daddy is generally the husband of the Mummy. In my case, Daddy-o is the El Husbandoza. That means husband in Spanish. If I am mistaken in the translation, that’s alright. I am not aiming for accuracy. El Husbandoza should mean husband and Daddy-o will tell that to anyone who’ll listen. He is the husband, and the Daddy, and the only thing he loves more than telling people what to do (and he’s almost always right so you better do what he says) is spending time with his family. Daddy-o will fly to Montreal for a weekend to help a kid with a paper; he’ll sneak out of the office to treat a kid to lunch; and he’ll sit beside his kid in the den while they both read their books, just for the company. I hope everyone has one of those but in reality, he’s one of a kind.
Mac- Hunky’s older brother, and a New York City doctor. He has the same adventurous spirit as my Hunky and loves to orchestrate wild parties and crazy activities. He lives in a New York City loft with his sweet, sexy girlfriend, Bi. Mac continually opens his loft to me and Hunky when we visit, whether he is in town or not. I am repeatedly shocked by the generous hospitality of all Hunky’s relatives.
Bi- Mac’s sweet, sexy girlfriend. She is Romanian and has a very elegant accent. She is also quite stunning with curly dark hair and equally intelligent. Bi and I are fortunate guests in the Hunky family and we all love each other’s company.
Mr. S- Mac’s good friend. He’s really interesting to talk to on pretty much any subject and he has staggeringly proficient magic skills. Some might refer to him as a master of the magical arts, or MMA (not to be confused with Mixed Martial Arts, a much bloodier form of entertainment.) He also has a very sweet and sexy girlfriend named Tams.
Cat- She is one of the tall girls and also one of the grotesque girls with me in our contemporary piece at school. She has a very German last name and since mine sounds quite German as well, (even though it’s Yiddish,) BM likes to joke that we are Hans and Otto, the huge German ballerinas. We also share a duet in the classical choreography. During rehearsals, BM announces us under our German pseudonyms. I’m not sure who’s Hans and who’s Otto but it doesn’t really matter; we’re a huge and inseparable ballet duo.
Jeno- The name is pronounced with a Spanish ‘J’ like jalapeno. Jeno is a small blond dancer in my class who works harder than most people I know. BM likes to demand things from her such as, “lift your arabesque higher, let go of the barre, rise to releve (on your toes) and stay there. Stop wobbling. Now lift your leg even higher. Chin forward. Yes, Jeno!” BM does this to demonstrate his own skill as a teacher and Jeno’s dedicated work in class. Both are extremely impressive.
Ginny- former co-worker at the bakery. The ‘former’ is because I left the bakery, not because she got sacked. She remains happily employed and happily tasting the vast array of baked goods. She has many tips for how best to enjoy the tasty treats. For example, the potato knish should be warmed up and dipped in hot sauce. The brownies should be cooled in the freezer for half an hour before consumed. The cheese crowns must be eaten directly from the oven. And everything should be tasted with a big smile.
