"Props"

Inspired by my latest supering experience. There are those who don't understand the magic of supering so I thought I would explain.
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     It is like being the water boy for a famous sports team. It is like being the gardener of the White House. The role of supernumerary is that of an insignificant stage prop in relation to the whole performance, yet it is by no means trivial. 

     There are many that question why I devote my time to these pitiful roles, why I change my schedule entirely so that I may sit onstage in a production. They obviously do not understand the attraction of being a supernumerary. The appeal lies in the backstage element. The rehearsals where you are in the same room as the most advanced dancers in the world. As I watch them repeat movements endlessly, I feel the splendor of their abilities encompassing me. For all aspiring dancers the hope is that somehow, through osmosis or absorption, we will soak in the knowledge of the greats as we perform our roles as minor supernumeraries. 

     Anybody can watch Natalia Osipova do a triple pirroutte in attitude. Anybody can marvel at Ivan Vasiliev’s cloud-scraping entroloces. But not everybody can see the process, witness the dancers’ mistakes. This is the secret of being a supernumerary. Those moments when you see the performers struggle with a step, study how they work tirelessly to perfect it, and are amazed by the stunning final product. Props to those flawless artists. I feel as though I should be able to effortlessly accomplish the exact step the dancer has just perfected because I too was watching the process, invested in their improvement.

     Seeing the dancers backstage provides a realistic element to their superhuman capabilities. They may stutter on steps and slip up backstage, but when they perform that night, there are no such errors. Such bountiful inspiration can be derived from this! The hope that when you yourself perform you will painlessly omit all your mistakes just as these professionals do. I prefer to be a supernumerary, decorating the stage, but enjoying the magnificence of ballet behind the scenes where it is created, instead of admiring from afar the finished product.