Waltz Time - Entry One: The Day We Met

Waltz Time

Entry One: The Day We Met

We met at an audition — a real one. Not a cattle call, not a workshop — an audition that actually mattered. It was held at the Minskoff Studios, tucked just above Broadway, where the halls always smelled faintly of sweat, hairspray, and hope.

The show was That Music Man’s Music — not a Broadway debut, but something with movement, with music, with potential. I hadn’t yet earned my Equity card, but a friend had slipped my headshot into the right pile and gotten me in. I didn’t ask questions. In those days, you didn’t. You showed up. You showed what you had.

Before I was even seen, the casting director looked me over and told me to remove my dark eyeliner — said it made me look “too ethnic.” I remember blinking, trying to smile through the sting, pretending I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t, not really. That kind of thing happened. It just hadn’t happened to me yet.

By the time they called my name, my hands were shaking. I was paired with you — a calm-looking guy with a quick half-smile and a folded dance belt peeking from your bag. We didn’t speak at first. Just stood awkwardly while they told us to prepare a waltz.

You reached out your hand.

I hesitated for half a breath, then placed mine in yours. And when the music started, we started. Not perfectly. Not even all that gracefully. But together.

You didn’t push or lead too forcefully. You just kept time. You let the music speak. And without knowing why, I started to breathe again.

Then came the lift—your—hands steady around my waist as I rose into a grand développé, weightless. It was effortless, graceful, and for a moment, I felt entirely transported. I smiled, as if to say, That… was perfect.

We didn’t say much afterward. A quick, quiet “Thanks” in the hallway, and then we were gone.

I didn’t think of you romantically. I didn’t think of much at all — just that strange, suspended feeling when something meaningful brushes past before you realize it’s happened.

I didn’t know your name would stay with me. Not yet.

But that was the beginning.

🩷Anna