Anyway, we've watched "Leap!" probably 6 times in the last 2 weeks. Have you seen it? It's about an orphan who becomes a ballerina? I wanted to love it. I wanted to so badly. But watching the movie hurt my heart. It really did. And it's not just because the storyline is horrible, the script is ridiculous, and the voice acting is forced and unnatural (except for Carly Rae Jeppsen and Kate Mckinnon because I love them. Elle Fanning is pretty good too except for the fact that she sounds like a 40 year old woman...there are other good voice actors, but no amount of voice acting skill can fix a bad script) the real reason the show hurts my heart is because the animation is so freaking amazing! It's gorgeous!! A visual masterpiece. The facial expressions, the creative cinematography, the beautiful dancing. It's brilliant and I was so incredibly disappointed the story didn't match that brilliance. I mean, there are parts of the plot that could have been cool. An injured ballerina, turned cleaner, turned teacher and the scene where Elle Fanning is dancing at the bar (except for there's no build up to that scene and it's more like, what the heck is happening? How did we get to dancing on the table tops?) But the story was mostly disappointing.
Anyway, I was so bothered by the lack of a good story I decided to write my own orphan ballerina story. So here it is: my alternative story to "Leap!"
Story Outline
1880 Paris
Preface
Diana was talented ballerina with a promising career. She came from a wealthy family who funded her ballet training. Diana was vibrant, vivacious, and loved dancing more than anything. Her passion fueled her success and when she was only 18-year-old the company was ready to name her the prima ballerina of Paris’ Grande ballet.
Days before Diana was scheduled to formally accepted the role as Prima ballerina, it became known that she was pregnant out of wedlock, abandoned by the father. The ballet quietly turned her away and informed her family.
When Diana’s family found out about the baby they insisted she terminate the pregnancy and if she refused they would cut off her monetary allowances and disown her. Diana did refuse and her family followed through with their threat and cut all ties. Diana was left on her own. The ballet company had compassion on her and though they would no longer allow her to be seen at the ballet, let alone dance, they did offer her a job as a scullery maid downstairs in the school’s kitchen.
Disgraced, Diana kept to herself and stayed in the shadows, away from the view of her former friends and ballerinas. The head kitchen maid, Alice, a plump older woman who yelled a lot, took Diana under her wing and looked after the girl during her pregnancy. Diana loved her unborn baby and was convinced it would be a little girl. Alice and Diana spent the evenings by the fire envisioning what it would be like to cuddle and spoil their “little pearl.” And when Diana would feel her baby move within her she would happily exclaim, “She’s twirling! A perfect little ballerina even now.”
Little Claire was born on a bright summer morning. Diana wouldn’t let anyone else hold her once Alice and the midwife finally placed the baby girl in her arms. Snuggles, kisses, and lullabies filled the months and years following. Baby Claire learned to walk early at 9 months and she began dancing soon after. Claire and Diana would often laugh and dance together in the kitchen and then Diana would take out a delicate pearl necklace, a remnant of her past life, and drape it over her baby and whisper in her ear, “I love you my beautiful little pearl.”
Although they lived a simple life, Diana was happier than she had ever been. But a dark wave of influenza struck Paris and when Claire was only 3-years-old Diana became afflicted with the condition and died. Alice wept for days holding little Claire against her chest and cried, “Your mother will always love you, little pearl. And you will always be loved by me.”
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- After 6-year-old Claire was finished with her chores she would secretly sneak to the back of the ballet’s great stage and hide behind the dusty black curtains to watch the ballerinas. She would often play with the ballerinas and they would teach her the 5 positions. Claire would dance all the time and loved hearing stories about her talented mother. Alice wished she could pay for Diana to go to ballet school, but even if she could miraculously find the money, Alice knew the ballet and public would never accept her because of her illegitimate birth.
- An old, smartly dressed women comes to the ballet seeking the daughter of the late Miss Diana Bernard. She was quietly lead to the downstairs kitchen and met with Alice. The older woman introduced herself as Ms Francesca Martin, Diana’s maternal aunt, and Claire’s great aunt. She learned through the grapevine of Diana’s misfortune: the unplanned pregnancy, the loss of her inheritance, and her untimely death. Francesca said that the family was originally told Diana went to live with relatives in the united states and only recently learned that there was a baby. Francesca said she was the black sheep of the family and never feared scandal. She herself was an unmarried, self-made millionaire who never cared one wit about what society made of her. She said she had come to take the young girl and give little claire the life she deserved, the life that had been robbed from her mother. Alice was devastated to see Claire go, but she knew Francesca would give the girl much more than she could ever offer. Seeing how much Alice loved Claire Francesca offered to make Alice head cook at her estate. She was in need of a new cook and lord knows Francesca herself had never been good with children.
- Claire loved her new home and learned to love Francesca over time, but she missed the ballet. She showed obvious skill when it came to dancing and when Claire was 9-years-old Alice begged Francesca to send Claire back to the ballet school as a student. Francesca finally agreed and sent Claire off. It was agreed upon that Alice would return to the school as well and work again as a cook in order to watch over Claire, but no one must ever make the connection that Claire is Diana’s illegitimate child or else it would ruin Claire.
- No one recognizes Claire from before and she is only known as the niece of Lady Martin. Claire has a hard time convincing people that she’s a good dancer. The other girls had been dancing since they were 5 so Claire has a lot of lost time to make up. One day Alice takes her out to a diner with other Kitchen staff to celebrate her birthday. The diner plays music and people start cheering to see dancers strut their stuff. Most of the dancers are people of lower class dancing lower class dances. Claire gets excited and jumps up onto the makeshift stage and begins dancing. Her dance is a cross between ballet and lower class dancing. People are beside themselves with awe in seeing a 10-year-old do a beautiful, technically difficult, and wonderful rambunctious performance. The director of the ballet happens to be at the diner that night. He recognizes Claire and chastises her and Alice for being out so late, but the next day he has Claire take the lead in practice and it becomes more and more clear to him that Claire has amazing intrinsic talent.
- Claire thrives as a ballerina and quickly moves up the ranks. She becomes the prima ballerina at age 16 and is incredible. She is able to perform impossible leaps and dance moves that had never been tried before.People come from all over the world to watch her dance. Some say her incredible ballet acrobatics are a gimmick or sensational to a fault, but most people are enchanted by her passionate and exciting performances.
- The former Prima ballerina before Claire was named Evelyn. Evelyn had been the Prima for years until she was injured badly and no longer able to dance. The ballet company refused to pay out Evelyn’s full retirement because the injury happened while she was still in her prime and she was turned out by the heartless businessmen who ran the ballet for profit. Ballet was Evelyn’s livelihood and identity and she became bitter and angry at her situation. She directed her bitterness toward Claire’s success and allowed jealousy to consume her. Evelyn was set on destroying Claire and the ballet school just as she had been destroyed. Evelyn was dismissed without making a fuss, but bided her time until the perfect opportunity presented itself to reap her revenge.
- Evelyn learns of Claire’s background and goes to the papers to make public the scandal. Claire is immediately called out as Diana’s illegitimate child and the ballet school is shamed for allowing a person of her sorts to walk the halls of such an established institution. Some people boycott the ballet calling it a house of filth and sin. The ballet is forced to save face by publicly dismissing Claire. Her former friends, colleagues, teachers, and romantic interested separated themselves from her to avoid tarnishing their own reputation. She returns to Francesca’s home disgraced in much the same way her mother had been.
- Francesca and Alice comforted Claire, they raged with her, and wept by her side. Alice touched the pearl necklace that hung around Claire’s neck, the necklace from Diana. “You will dance again, little pearl. Your mother passed on her passion for dancing to you. You were dancing and twirling in your mother’s womb before you was born, I swear you went straight from crawling to dancing, and I couldn’t get you away from them ballerina’s when you was supposed to be helping me with supper downstairs as a wee girl. It’s in your blood, little pearl. It’s a part of you.” Claire appreciated their love and began to somewhat recover. But soon attention turned to Francesca who was ill and it was becoming clear that she was going to die (as it happens she will die because of an STD stemming from a very eclectic and active sex life, but that’s really her business, so I’ll keep out of it).
- On Francesca’s deathbed she charges Claire, “You must dance again. Do you hear me, girl? You must dance again. I cannot leave this earth without know that you will dance again. Promise me.” Claire was reluctant. Dancing had caused her deep pain and feelings of betrayal. But she promised Francesca.
- Claire knew she would be receiving part of Francesca’s inheritance because Francesca had told her as much, but Claire ended up receiving 100% of the inheritance. Francesca was unmarried and childless and trusted Claire with the money. Claire was stunned at the wealth left to her. She knew her great aunt was wealthy, but she didn’t realize how wealthy. Claire could hardly think of what a person would do with so much money.
- She was out and about one day and noticed a flower girl walking the streets asking for pennies in exchange for daisies. The girl couldn’t have been more than 6 years old and it reminded Claire of herself when she was young. In a quiet moment while she waited for more people to pass by the little girl began twirling. She twirled with her dress spinning gracefully around her as if she herself was a little flower. Claire touched the pearl necklace around her neck remembering her mother and suddenly knew exactly what she wanted to do with the money
- She opened her own ballet company in a different city outside of Paris. It was a dancing studio for less affluent girls and boys, especially those who were considered outcast or the deprived. Each child accepted was given two warm meals a day, taught to read and write, and then taught ballet. She devoted her life to the school and dedicated it to her mother, Diana.
The end
