For some people, ballet comes naturally. Zahan Granger was one of those people. She had taken a few lessons on Earth, with her second family, but it had only been when she had come to Rhy'Din, and seen the Spring Gala at the Shanachie, that she had realized she wanted to continue with her dancing. Edward and Lisbeth had been nothing but supportive of her wish, enrolling her quickly at De Luca Dance, involving themselves with her teachers as she progressed quickly through Beginner and into Intermediate. They had endured with her the pains of learning pointe work, putting their combined medical know-how to work in devising a method to effectively pad her toe shoes, and they had rearranged work and school to accommodate her performance in The Nutcracker. Best of all, they had allowed Monsieur Tony to encourage her in her craft.

That encouragement had come in the form of Madame Benoit, who had had to ease back on her dancing for the time being because of her delicate condition. Merry had set aside time every other day to work exclusively with Zahan, and together they had chosen the Kitri variation for this year's Spring Gala, working on it from January to April, in time for Zahan to audition for inclusion in the Gala itself. She had been so delighted when she was accepted, impossible to quiet down for at least four hours afterward, and now here she was, dancing on the Shanachie stage, alone but for the orchestra.

No longer Intermediate, the young ballerina put on the best display she could. Though her dance was relatively short, it was lively, perfectly suiting the sometimes cheeky personality that she enjoyed playing with, and she threw herself into it with abandon, determined to be the best she possibly could every night of the run. Perhaps the audience were surprised by the inclusion of not one, but two little ballerinas in the programme, but they applauded with enthusiasm each night, sending Zahan, at least, off the stage with a broad grin. If she had been in any doubt as to what she wanted to do with her life, those doubts were now gone. Now all she needed was to work on her stamina and perfect her technique, and she was sure she could make it to the top.

No fouettes this year.

Despite the 46 being her crowning achievement, Anya had decided not to show off in the Gala this year, limiting herself to only one performance with her beloved Tony. The Grand Pas from Act Three of The Sleeping Beauty was a challenge for any ballet dancer, male or female, stately and demanding perfect technique to mirror the partnered pieces exactly. She'd been so much involved with teaching and choreographing this year, it was the first true test of her skill, and she had loved every second of the rehearsing, always relishing the chance to dance with her Tony.

And yet, despite enjoying the acclaim, she considered the high points of the evening to be the performances by the younger dancers - by Mairead Harker and Zahan Granger - and the frankly hilarious parody the De Luca Dance students had put together. It wasn't very dignified for a ballerina of her age to be snorting into her hands in the dressing room as she watched the screen that showed what was happening on stage, but Anya didn't really care. She laughed every night, even though she knew exactly what was coming!

Joestte was always an honor to watch - lithe and graceful, displaying the emotion of her pieces with a bright fervor that almost eclipsed the fragile dancer herself. Harper's mirroring piece with Melissa was like watching poetry laid out on a page. Jamie, of course, was always captivating - he had truly come into his own over the past years, prepared to test his limits through modern pieces as well as perfecting the classical lines of the known ballets. And the Benoits ....Anya was proud of, and surprised by, her friends this year. Christian had never struck her as a contemporary ballet dancer, and yet there he was, dancing contemporary solo with as much aplomb as he had danced Apollo. Merethyl, on the other hand, was 22 weeks pregnant, possessed of a proud, sweet bump at her waist, and had worked hard on putting together this simple variation. She couldn't dance partnered, or for more than a few minutes, without putting strain on her delicate condition, but she had insisted on proving that a ballerina does not stop knowing how to dance just because she is building a life inside her.

It was the most varied Gala they'd had thus far - not in the content of the pieces, but in the people who had chosen to dance with them. Advanced children, intermediate adults, pregnant women, professionals all in their own way. Each had a connection with the theater, each had trained exactly the way the Ballet Company itself did every single day. They were a joy to watch, and Anya was certain she would always feel privileged to work with them.

Now if she could just keep Sofia from eating everything at the ice cream social, her Gala season would be complete.