Bunheads Gets “On Message”

Most of this week’s Bunheads episode was spent following widow Michelle around town and wondering whether or not Fanny was serious about those Dalai Lama cocktail napkins for Hubbell’s memorial. But the show still managed to squeeze in some favorite ballet themes before the proverbial curtain came down.

The most powerful ballet message wasn’t revealed until the very end. The ballerinas-in-training finally dance for Fanny and Michelle, and not only are the two brought to tears by the performance, but their estrangement is mended. No, it was not because of Sasha’s never-ending extensions or Boo’s beautiful pencheé (so much for her Episode One arabesque perils!). It was because—as every “bunhead” knows—ballet has the power to speak where words fail. It may seem a little cheesy that a few pirouettes and a port de bras were able to bond a grieving mother and her showgirl daughter-in-law, but Bunheads definitely showed how important self-expression through dance is. Every ballet dancer can relate to that.