moving to madison, wisconsin 1971

I actually wrote most of this about a month ago, but never got around to posting it... Its a continuation of my "ballet story" when I was 15.


Along about the time I got my first pointe shoes, I found out from my mom that we were moving to Madison, Wisconsin.  I was absolutely overjoyed because Madison, although, not actually a whole lot larger than Evansville in population, was a far more sophisticated and cultured city as it was not only the capital of the state, it housed one of the country's largest state universities AND it also had its very own regional ballet company called, The Wisconsin Ballet Company. Madison is a very pretty town nestled between two picturesque lakes, but it's absolutely snot freezing cold in the winter. not my thing.

Mom went up there one weekend and scouted out the town looking for just the right place to live. Money was tight but fortunately, she was to receive a stipend from the University of Wisconsin, which I didn't really know what that meant at first and she explained to me, that it meant that she could get her master's degree for free and be provided with a small amount of living expenses, but then-- she would have to work for the state of Wisconsin for at least 2 years, as pay back. That sounded like a good deal to me! I'm not sure how she did it, but she was very careful. I know that she did receive a small amount of child support from my father and I guess she had a bit of money from her settlement, but really, it wasn't very much.

Mom came back from her trip and told me that she had found a very nice two bedroom apartment in a brand new building on the more developing West side of town and it was in the school district where "all of the university professor's children went", and there was shopping close by, but best of all... it was just less than a ten minute walk to the ballet studio where the Wisconsin Ballet Company housed its studio. That is where I was going to study the art of ballet and I was soooooo excited!

I was so excited to leave Evansville, but even though I knew I was leaving, still it was the only home I had ever known, so the feelings were somewhat mixed. I had made one very good friend and spent a couple of nights with her, while mom was moving all of our stuff up and then, I was going to fly up and she would pick me up and take me to our new home together.

The apartment was quite boiler plate-- and the epitome of everything that was 1971

U G L Y

This wasn't it, but it was verrrrrrrry close.  I had an uncle in the furniture biz in Milwaukee and Mom and I chose a sofa not too dissimilar to this one. I loved it!

And of course with the de rigeur avocado green kitchen and dark wooden cabinets

God......... the seventies... wtf happened? (the fridge would've been avocado green too!)
We thought it was "modern"??? yuck!
Of course, back then, I didn't see it as ugly at all and I didn't care, even if it was. It was a fresh start in a new place far away from the horrors of my childhood and with easy access to my passion which was ballet!

...I started taking my ballet lessons as soon as we moved and my teacher was a woman named Charmaine who was only a few years older than me... but she had the most perfect body I had ever seen, with these gorgeous thin perfectly muscled legs and she was quite pretty too.  However, she was very strict. It was very difficult, but she was a good teacher for me.


I have no idea what she thought of me, but I really had very little idea what I was doing, but after a couple of months, I had made a lot of progress and then for 4 weeks, I went out to Cali to visit Mistletoe and this time, I took ballet classes every day at a ballet intensive at Roseanne's and THAT is when I really began to take off.

I came back to Madison a much more seasoned young ballet dancer and started my new high school in the 10th grade. That fall, I was placed in a ballet class with girls who were about my age, but had been studying for 6 or 7 years. I took 6 classes a week. Since I was new, they thought I had also had about the same amount of training... and my progress continued to progress rapidly.

That summer, I was deemed strong enough to be fitted for my first REAL pair of pointe shoes and this time, they fit me perfectly.

One day, near the end of November, I ran over to the ballet studio(because I was often running late and could not be late for class and it was a good warm up too!)...So slightly out of breath, I arrived and was met head on with a heady buzz and much excitement in the air... It was just after Thanksgiving and I saw a sign up over the reception desk which read.

Auditions for the New Junior Ballet Company

When: Friday December 3rd

Time:  6:00PM

Please come warmed up and ready to dance

Pointe work- Mandatory!

Good luck!


I was excited and nervous, all at the same time.

Was I ready? I asked Mrs. Zhana, the director's wife who had just retired and also taught.  She said, 

"Sure, Lexie... You should come to the audition. We're choosing a whole new company as the old junior company is being moved up to the senior company!"

She smiled at me warmly, as she said this and her kind words had given me great hope. I just had to get in... I just had to.