Part V. Prince Albrecht Is Me
The boys in the dance studio burst into laughter that was directed at Alessandro, while the girls thought he was a clumsy idiot. The choreography transitions he had to know to become Prince Albrecht for the performance of Giselle was especially demanding physically, and only one fifteen year old boy was going to be accepted for the part. The fouetté en tournant and the landings of the entrechat with proper turn out and timing for almost thirty minutes made Alessandro reach the level of exhaustion where he felt he was going to have a out of body experience. Towards the end of the audition, he was so exhausted that everything around him started to go gray, and the music from the grand piano sounded like an echo that was being played from another room.
Feeling he was floating, Alessandro tripped and stumbled awkwardly, just as he was emerging from the starting block as auditions began for the role. Once again, Alessandro was competing against older, more experienced boys who viewed him as an upstart with an inflated ego. It was supposedly fed by the rumor that he was the next Rudolf Nureyev, and it made him a target for bullies. His male peers were utterly ruthless in their torment of him, and made his first few years of living in the dorm tearfully homesick ones. More than a few times, Alessandro begged his parents to purchase him a ticket home on the train back to Casale Monferatto. One day his clothes and towel mysteriously vanished from the shower after classes were done. On that occasion, a soaking wet, and naked Alessandro reluctantly was forced to waved a girl down in the hallway from the stairwell in order to borrow a blanket to cover himself up in an attempt to avoid streaking from the boy's shower nude.
La Scala. Perfection. dedication and tradition.
Alessandro never arrived late for class, and was always warmed up and ready to dance. Driven and focused on his dance master, Fabrizio Berenetti, he had completed his barre work long before the others in Signore Berenetti's repertoire and advanced techniques class and then got down to business with his center floor work. Alessandro was only scolded once ever by his ballet master for stifling a yawn during a pause because he'd stayed up late studying for a history exam the night before. Accademia di Balletto alla Scala was a preparatory school for serious students of dance, ones that had desire and drive to become legendary. It was not a place where Alessandro could appear disinterested, chew bubble gum in front of his ballet instructors or spend his time gossiping about the latest rumors with his friends in the dance studio.
Everyday his instructors molded and shaped him to become the professional dancer he dreamed of being, and the school was a prestigious fixture for ballet culture in Milan, Italy. Just as the rules were in elementary school, Alessandro had to raise his hand if he wished to speak aloud or ask questions. He learned the importance of discipline, and the power of observation of his own body movement and the flow of his fellow dancers, using their errors to his advantage in order to make his own choreography flawless.
Even when Alessandro made a mistake, he never whined, complained or showed signs of frustration in front of his classmates. Positive and optimistic, he learned quickly from his mistakes and worked twice as hard to execute the moves correctly the next time. Despite practicing until his feet and calves ached, he would finish all the choreography given to him and always gave his best effort. He felt it was always worth cheering his classmates on, and Alessandro would clap for anyone that did a solo to keep their spirits up. His gracious and helpful attitude was why he became a leader, or danzatore primo of his class.
All the other students gave Alessandro the space he needed and the recognition he deserved. Whether his solo performances earned applause or harsh criticism he gave reverence and respect to his teachers, the piano accompanist and the art of ballet at the start and the end of each of his classes. When his graduation from La Scala arrived, and his degree in classical and contemporary ballet earned, he always stopped by to visit his instructors and give new children much needed encouragement. The hard work, the sweat, the sacrifice of growing up away from his family from the time he was eleven years old until the age of twenty-four was worth it all in order to pursue his goals of becoming a star.
Because of his six-year-old dream to become a ballet danseur with unsurpassed grace and beauty, his dedication caused that vision to come to fruition, all while capturing the heart of Italians throughout his homeland. It was due time for the rest of the world to know his name as well, and when The Boston Ballet made him an offer for a contract, Alessandro did not hesitate to pack everything he possessed to come dance in Boston, Massachusetts. Their artistic director expressed a strong interest in Alessandro now that he was of age to travel the world away from the stage at Teatro Alla Scala, the handsome danseur etoile excitedly accepted the job to become their first Italian Principal dancer. He was the epitome of perfection and hard work, and tonight's farewell performance of Giselle proved that he had what it would take to prove to an American audience that he was the best.
Compared to everyone else, Alessandro's star would always shine the brightest.