The Crab Ballet by sales-abramsbooks

With love to my three urchins— Lorenzo, Claudio, and Maddalena— and to Vittorio, the octopus of the jurisdiction who makes everything possible —R.L. To Maël—you bring joy and sweetness everywhere you go. —C.M.

ABRAMS .

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. ISBN: 978-1-951836-36-8 Printed in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CAMERON KIDS is an imprint of CAMERON + COMPANY CAMERON + COMPANY Petaluma, California www.cameronbooks.com

THE CRAB BALLET

WRITTEN BY

RENÉE M. LaTULIPPE

ILLUSTRATED BY

CÉCILE METZGER

elcome. Enter. Sit right there upon our finest driftwood chair. Enjoy our sunset seaside show— our dancers are beyond compare.

They’re warming up now at the barre, each aquatic superstar. Soon you’ll see them; soon you’ll know the genius of their repertoire.

Cue the ocean’s rolling score; curtain up on shimmery shore! The stage is set: a sleek, wet glow— Shh! The dancers take the floor . . .

Act 1 emerges from the spray— observe this gleaming sea ballet! Anemones sway to and fro, squids link arms in balancé,

turtles spiral in between. A seahorse pair glides on the scene, bows deep and low, then soubresaut! An elegant marine routine.

Now dancers scamper, skip, and soar, a pas de chat across sand floor,

then come to rest in posed tableau. A hush befalls the hovering corps . . .

as crabs pop up from bubbling holes, dozens of crustacean souls. First the eyes, then toe toe toe— dancers playing tidal roles.

Pas de bourrées! Leaps in midair! Landings soft as mermaids’ hair. Dramatic fish dives finish low, then pointed feet sweep round, à terre.

Now claws aloft in fifth position, side chassé in repetition. Pirouettes! First fast, then slow. Cymbals crash—

Interm

ission

Spotlights formed by speckled sun show act 2 has just begun. Our star performers, row on row, rise on tiptoe, one by one. Bows draw notes from violins, as arm to arm ten starfish spin. Their tube feet flicker, flash, and go— a pinwheel promenade begins!

A single urchin rules the reef, her en pointe dance too rare, too brief! A tiny, spiny dynamo— her fans sit stunned in disbelief.

Appearing on a gentle rise, a guest who’s come to tantalize— Medusa makes a cameo. Glissade! Her grace can mesmerize.

Farther out beyond the spray, two dolphins dance in relevé. They leap great heights in twilight’s glow— a pas de deux in glistening gray.

The sun begins to kiss the shore. Performers bow to calls for more! Our stars approach to close the show— how they pose and swoop and soar!

Six legs bent in full plié. Arabesque! Now grand jeté! Then dancers dip and dive below—

Bravo! Bravo for Crab Ballet!

BALLET TERMS (FOR CRABS AND KIDS ALIKE) Note: Ballet terms come from the French language. arabesque [a-rah-BESK]: A ballet position in which the dancer stands on one foot while the other leg is held out behind. The arms may be held in various positions. à terre [ah TARE]: Touching the ground. balancé [ba-lahn-SAY]: A rocking sequence of three steps (step out, step back, step front) with an up-and-down movement. ballet [ba-LAY]: A classic type of dance that uses very precise steps and gestures. barre [bar]: A horizontal bar at waist level that ballet dancers use for support or stretching during exercises. chassé [shah-SAY]: A sliding dance step done in a series. corps de ballet [CORE duh ba-LAY]: The group of dancers in a ballet company who are not featured dancers or soloists. en pointe [on PWANT]: This term literally means “on point” and refers to when a ballerina dances on the tips of her shoes. fifth position: position Ballet consists of five basic foot and arm positions, or postures. In fifth position, the feet are turned outward and placed one in front of the other so that the toe (and heel) of the back foot just touches the heel (and toe) of the front foot. The arms are raised in an oval above the head. fish dive: dive A dance lift in which the male dancer supports the female almost upside down in a poisson (fish) position. The poisson position consists of an arched back and extended leg. glissade [glee-SAHD]: A gliding dance step in which the dancer begins in fifth position, glides the front foot to the side, and brings the back foot to meet it.

grand jeté [grahn zhuh-TAY]: A leaping dance step in which the dancer springs from one foot, keeping the other leg stretched behind while in the air. pas de bourrée [pah duh boo-RAY]: A quick three-step movement often used to connect other ballet moves. pas de chat [pah duh SHAH]: “Step of the cat” is a springy step in which the dancer hops sideways into the air, bringing the feet up like a cat. pas de deux [pah duh DEUH]: A dance for two people. pirouette [peer-WET]: A whirl or spin performed on one foot, with the other leg raised either straight or bent at the knee. plié [plee-AY]: A stretching exercise in which the knees are bent either halfway (demi-plié) or all the way (grand plié) from any of the five basic foot positions. tour de promenade [toor duh prawm-NAHD]: A move in which the dancer turns slowly in place on one foot by making many small movements of the heel while in an arabesque or other pose. In a pas de deux, the ballerina holds a pose while her partner turns her by holding her hand and walking around her. relevé [reh-leh-VAY]: A move in which the dancer raises the body on the points of the shoes. repertoire [REP-eh-TWAHR]: All the dances, plays, or songs that a company or performer knows and/ or is ready to perform at any moment. soubresaut [soo-breh-SOH]: A sudden small leap in which the dancer jumps from two feet and lands in the same position.