Normally, as I bourree'd past her, Madame would be making comments like, "Long neck, Mademoiselle Romsey!" or, "Use zee onkles!" (That's "ankles," just in case you were wondering.) But this wasn't a class. This was an audition. And I was on my own.

    I finished the bourree and went into an arabesque, stretching my arms gracefully (I hoped). Then I clomped off the stage area, my toe shoes clacking with every step.

    I watched the other girls do what I'd done, one at a time. There are a lot of good dancers in my class, which makes sense - it is, after all, an advanced class. Take Mary Bramstedt, for example. Right then she was bourree-ing across the floor, in perfect form. She always seems to be in perfect form. But I think (and this is just my personal opinion - I'd never say it out loud) that there's something missing when she dances. Something like - I know this might sound really silly but - passion. She's kind of like a robot, you know?

    I don't think anyone could mistake me for a robot - and not just because I'm not always in perfect form. As far as I know, there aren't too many black robots running around - in fact, there are probably even fewer black robots than there are black ballerinas.

    Luckily, there are a few black ballerinas now. Twenty years ago, there weren't any. And someone like me, with skin the color of cocoa and eyes like coal, could never have dreamed of joining a ballet company. But now I can dream. And it makes me glad, because I absolutely, positively love to dance.

    So does Carrie Steinfeld, and it was showing as she did her bourree. She's a great dancer - one of the best in the class. She's also one of the oldest students in the class, and she'll be graduating soon. This might be her last chance to get a starring role in a production - a role that would really give her an edge if she could add it to her resume.

    Without having had a role like Princess Aurora, the leading part in The Sleeping Beauty, Carrie might have a hard time getting into another dance school for older students. And she'd have hardly any chance at all of joining a ballet company. The ballet world is very competitive.