Numerology/Astrology for 6/24/15 - Blog about Antonina Tumkovsky

Numerology/Astrology for 6/24/15
Today is the number 11/20. You feel like you want to step forward but instead you are stepping sideways. That is because of the Cha-Cha dancing moves of the number 20/11. It may feel a bit forward one big step and two steps backwards with smaller steps but you can make the expansion and contraction of this number pattern into a dance and make if fun if you can find the rhythm and flow. The Moon leaves Virgo at 1:42 AM EDT, when it enters Libra. With Chiron stationary and turning retrograde this morning, you might be flooded with energies that are hard to make sense of and thus important decision-making is best avoided for the time being, as your thinking can be skewed. It's better not to jump to conclusions. However, while the station itself can bring some feeling of overwhelm, the retrograde cycle itself, which lasts until November 27th, is a good time for introspection. You might reassess mental and physical health programs in your life during this period. Mars enters Cancer today, where it will transit until August 8th. You pursue interests ardently, but you might avoid a direct approach. You are less likely to move straightforwardly towards your desires with Mars in Cancer. And you are subject to mood swings and vacillations. Watch to see if you are moving from a defensive position and try a more gentle approach. Your mood is greatly influenced by your circumstances so be aware that your impulse is just this moment. You are a little more cautious and conservative under this influence, but you will fight for, about, or on behalf of those people and things that are dearest to your heart.
~Suzanne Wagner~

Quote
The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because shit worked out. They got that way because shit went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days, but they handled it. These women are my superheroes.

~Elizabeth Gilbert~

Blog

One of my favorite dance teachers was Antonina Tumkovsky from the School of American Ballet. She was a force to be reckoned with but the sweetest women in the world. She had been born in 1905 and became a soloist for the Kiev Ballet. In World War II she had been captured by the Germans and when they discovered who she was they broke both of her knees. After that she could never dance professionally again but she left Russia and got to Berlin where then she immigrated to the US in 1949. I remember her sitting on a chair and teaching class with a big stick to mark the positions of her legs because it was clearly very painful for her to walk. I never saw her complain. She always had a smile on her face and the kindest heart. Her classes were so demanding that I wondered how I could make it through them. But her spirit, her love of dance, and her innocent belief that you could do the impossible gave me the energy to keep going. I remember not being accepted into New York City Ballet because that year I was to step into the apprenticeship/corps position was the year that Mikhial Baryshnikov joined New York City Ballet. He wanted to work with Balanchine before he died. At my evaluation, Mr. B said to me, “Suzy, you are ready to be in a company, you should go to Europe but I have to hire all short girls because I have no one to stand next to Mikhial on stage.” I was devastated. Very few companies took dancers as tall as me. I remember going into Tumkovsky’s class in tears and completely distraught. She left me alone for about 10 minutes then walked by and said, “Suzy, New York City Ballet is not the only company in the world.” That just made me cry more. She walked around the classroom, came back and said, “I want to speak to you after class.” So after the class, she sat me down and talked with me. Honestly, I don’t remember much of what she said, only her demeanor and her kind understanding eyes looking back at me. The next day, I was pulled out of a classroom and told that I had an audition with the Berlin Ballet that was on tour to New York and performing at the State Theater. I later heard that it was Tumkovsky that called the Panov’s who where friends of hers from Russia and performing with the Berlin Ballet and arranged for me to have a private audition. It was because of her loving heart and her caring spirit that I was given the great gift to dance in Europe for many years. Her bravery through the incredibly tough times in her life gave me the courage to find my dream. Thank you Tumi.
~Suzanne Wagner~