Synopsis Act I

Scene 1: Madame Larina's Garden, Russia early Nineteenth century Madame Larina, her youngest daughter Olga and the nurse Filipevna are seen gossiping and embellishing party dresses, while Tatiana, Larina's eldest daughter, does not seem at all interested in what she will wear at her own upcoming birthday party. She prefers to keep reading her book.

As young girls from the nearby estates arrive, Olga and Tatiana invite them to play a game with a mirror. They believe if a girl looks into the mirror at a specific time, she will see the image of her future husband reflected. Lensky, a young poet betrothed to Olga, arrives with Onegin, his friend from St. Petersburg who has come has come in search of countryside distractions.

While introductions are still being made, Tatiana looks into the mirror and sees Onegin's face. This fuels her romantic fantasies. They meet and Onegin invites her to take a stroll, while Lensky and Olga are left alone to declare their love for each other. Onegin starts losing interest after finding her universe very provincial; he sees in Tatiana a naive country girl who reads too many love stories. Tatiana on the other hand is completely infatuated with this elegant and sophisticated stranger who is so different from the countrymen she knows.

Scene 2: Tatiana's Bedroom Alone in her bedroom Tatiana fantasises about her encounter with Onegin and decides to write a love letter, opening her feelings to him. She falls asleep and dreams of him. In dreams her earlier premonition comes alive; here Tatiana and Onegin dance the famous "mirror Pas de Deux"

Act II

Scene 1: Madame Larina's House Guests arrive to celebrate Tatiana's birthday. The room is full of gossip, not only about Olga's engagement to Lensky, but also about a blossoming romance between Tatiana and the newcomer. Among the guests is Prince Gremin, a distant relative. He is in love with Tatiana and Madame Larina hopes for a match, but Tatiana barely notices him. Onegin finds the event tedious and struggles to maintain civility; he is irritated with Tatiana's letter which he regards as a product of adolescent infatuation. He seeks out Tatiana. Telling her he cannot possibly love her he tears up the letter. Instead of feeling sympathy towards Tatiana's obvious distress, he leaves irritated. For his own amusement Onegin decides to provoke Lensky and flirts openly with Olga. She responds jokingly to his attentions but Lensky takes offence. In a fit of jealousy he challenges Onegin for a duel.

Scene 2: The Duel Lensky stands alone, meditating on the incident. He dances a solo, where he expresses his sadness. Tatiana and Olga arrive to try and reason with him, but his high romantic ideals have been destroyed. He is devastated and regards Onegin's foolish behaviour as a betrayal. Onegin arrives and attempts a reconciliation but Lensky is adamant. The duel takes place and Lensky ends up being shot. For the first time in his life, Onegin is aghast at the events and with deep remorse, he leaves.

Act III

Scene 1: Prince Gremin's Palace in St. Petersburg Many years have passed and Onegin has just returned to St. Petersburg from his travels around the world. He is received at a ball in Prince Gremin's palace. Gremin has recently married and Onegin is shocked to discover that his elegant young wife is none other than Tatiana who now looks grown up and transformed. There and then he realises his mistake and how his life has been wasted. He decides to seek out Tatiana to confess his love for her.

Scene 2: Tatiana's Room Tatiana reads a love letter from Onegin. He is standing before her, awaiting her answer. For a moment Tatiana reminisces about the past and her fantasies but, regaining composure, she tells him that it's too late; she used to love him but now she must remain faithful to her husband. Onegin insists and in despair, she tears up the letter and commands him to leave. He obeys at last. Alone again, Tatiana collapses with grief. ((There you have it. As my partner likes to say, have fun with it! Happy posting, people! :) ))

To dance the female lead in a tragic romance ....it was a big step up for the elf who had been told just last year that watching her dance was like watching paint dry. Not only the lead, but a character who had to grow up on stage, from idealistic child to realistic woman, from delusions of fantasies to the pragmatism of adulthood. It was a great challenge for Merethyl, who had not been an idealistic child for more than a century.

Oddly, that was the greatest challenge of Onegin for her - to dance the young Tatiana with believable youth and sweetness, with the fresh naivete that she embodied in the first two acts of the ballet. Oh, there was fun to be had with it. The duets danced with Josette - as her younger sister, Olga - playing games with their "magic" mirror and teasing the younger girls ....it was a joy. Josette's habitual fragility and innocence were transformed into a playful eagerness to grow up, only to have that playfulness broken when one foolish action sets in motion the real tragedy of the piece. It was from Josette's Olga that Merry's Tatiana learned her sweetness, her innocence, yet it was Harper's Madame Larina, the girls' mother, that Merry tried to emulate in the latter Act. The girl Tatiana had been would strive to be like her mother, she was certain, and so Merry might have made Harper a little uncomfortable with how closely she studied the newest ballerina in the company's style and form.

Christian's Onegin was masterful, as she had known it would be - disdaining and hurtful of the young Tatiana's sensibilities - yet the famous dream sequence was filled with more passion than even Merry had expected. Somehow, her husband managed to draw the tempestuous side of Tatiana from her as the girl dreamed of the man she believed herself to be in love with, imbuing the dream with a longing she had not thought was possible. His horror at causing the pain and death of his friend was heartbreaking to watch, and Merry's Tatiana - caught between the grief of her sister and the anguish of the man who had broken her own heart - was caught up in it, the high emotions lending a painful sorrow to her motion as she whirled between comfort and despair.

Yet it was the last act she considered the hardest to dance. The pas de deux in which Onegin tries to convince the now grown Tatiana to love him again and leave her husband for him ....it was heart-wrenching to dance. Her own emotions mixed with those of her role; she wanted to go with him, to be convinced and to run away with her first love, yet Tatiana remembers the cruelty with which he rejected her at first and the duty she owes to her husband and family. As much as she longs to go with him, she cannot and will not be swayed from her duty. Merry could only hope that conflict could be seen in her performance, as she drew on the young Tatiana's love, fueled by Olga's playful fun, and the older Tatiana's loyalty to her family, inspired by Madame Larina's loving mothering. Each night, when the scene ended, her tears were real, and it took Christian's reassurance to remind her that it was simply a part. Her greatest fear was to lose him, and in losing him, herself. Onegin broke her open each time they danced it.

For a dancer who still was not at home with acting the part as well as dancing it, she gave all the credit for her performance to those she danced with. To Josette, for teaching her how to be a child on stage; to Jamie, for being patient with all her questions; to Harper, for helping her to craft the elder Tatiana's torn sensibilities; to Christian, for breaking her open each night to share her heart with the audience who watched. To Tony and Anya, who had choreographed it all between them, and worked with patient diligence to see the piece come to fruition.

Each night, Tatiana would grow up through heartbreak and duty, and each night, she made the right decision. But each night, Merethyl went home with her husband, and thanked the Seldarine that she would never have to make such a decision for herself. If art reflects life, then she hoped the reflection was marred in this case. Her own life was artistry she would not countenance any changes to.

Not yet, anyway.

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Nayun wasn't much of a fan when it came to ballet or theater. It wasn't as if she disliked the arts; it was more along the line that she didn't quite grasp the emotions and feeling behind it. This did not mean she spent the whole night complaining. No, it had been the opposite. She did what was the norm for her; sitting up straight and appearing attentive to the scenes playing out in front of her.

Her attention shifted somewhat mid-way through the performance. It was there when she reached over to set her hand atop Lisa's own. She assumed it was the proper time to do such a thing, or at least that was the consensus during the small council meeting with her handmaidens earlier in the day.

"It was interesting." Would be her take on the whole performance on stage.

Harper enjoyed every second of her time on stage during her first show with the company. The grace, growth, and pure, heartbreaking emotion of Merethyl left her stunned night after night. She had tucked a little notebook in the wings so she could make notes to herself whenever she popped offstage, huddling over in what dim light crept into the wings from the spotlights. Having more of a support role allowed her to watch, admire, and above all learn from the more senior dancers.

She watched rapt at Merethyl's control of movement. How she grew and transformed in front of the audience's eyes. Her duet with Christian left Harper breathless every performance. Their lifts were to die for and they brought the choreography to life well, like a dream. She studied Josette's fire and energy, noting in a dog-eared copy of the book how they interpreted each scene. As for her own performance, Harper hoped that despite her youth and diminutive stature, she could bring Madame Larina to life. Either way, she was just proud to be standing on the same stage as the dancers she so admired.

It wasn't exactly Romeo and Juliet, but the role of Onegin was for Christian - a man who'd been told he'd never dance again - the dream of a lifetime. To be able to dance it with Merethyl was just icing on the cake, even if the ballet didn't have a happy ending.

He put everything he had into his Onegin, and it was sometimes hard to tell where the character ended and the dancer began. He and Merry had practiced until they were exhausted under Irina's strict tutelage. The tears in his eyes when Merethyl's Tatiana rejected him were authentic.

One of the first lessons he'd learned about being a principal dancer was that it wasn't just about dancing. It wasn't just about technique and athleticism and artistry; it was also about acting. It was about convincing the audience that he was Onegin, and that he was feeling whatever Onegin was feeling, whether it be arrogance, anger, grief, love, or sorrow.

But of course, he couldn't have done it alone. Being a principal dancer also meant being part of a group, and he felt himself blessed to be part of such a group as the Shanachie Ballet Troupe. The beauty of Anthony and Anya's choreography; the perfection of Irina's tutelage; the grace and beauty of each of the ballerinas; the strength and prowess of the male dancers; and finally, the loveliness and talent that was his partner.

No, he could not have done it alone, and despite everything that had happened that had led him here - the pain and the anguish and the hopelessness - he couldn't be happier or luckier to be part of it. It was something for which he would be forever grateful and never take for granted again.