The Princess Who Couldn't Dance

Once upon a time, in the faraway North, there lived a king renowned for having the best dancers. Almost daily, festivals and royal balls were held, because people loved to dance. Even the king and queen were among the finest dancers.

But what if you knew that the princess of this kingdom couldn't dance at all?

Failed Dance Lessons

— One, two, three. One, two, three. No, no, no, no, Twyla, that's not how you curtsy.

— No? Not like this? — Oh! — Is everything alright? Oh, is that a new kind of dance? — Your Highness, I have taught Princess Twyla everything I can, but it is difficult for her to learn.

The queen looked at her tired daughter and dismissed the teacher.

— Twyla, it's no use, Mama. No matter how hard I try, it doesn't work. Even your thirteenth teacher told you that. — My dear, you are still young and have time to learn. Don't be disappointed. Look, the two princesses from the South have come to meet you.

— What? Oh, I don't want to meet them. — You mustn't behave like that with our guests.

So the two princesses were welcomed into Twyla's room. She greeted them politely, but she didn't like them at all. The two girls danced very well and teased dear Twyla mercilessly.

— Twyla, have you learned to dance without tripping? — I can dance well now. I've been practicing intensely these past few days. — For the ball in Prince Adrian's kingdom? Oh, how I'd love to dance with him! — They say he's the best dancer there is. You'll go, won't you, Twyla?

— Oh, no. I almost forgot. — Uh, yes, I'll come. — But who will she dance with? And who will dance with her? Certainly not Adrian. Ha ha ha! Certainly not Adrian. Ha ha ha!

Humiliation at the Ball

Poor Twyla felt terrible. Her parents had brought her the best teachers, but none of them, with all their rules and postures, had managed to teach her how to move her feet properly.

On the night before the ball, Twyla prepared herself alone, feeling agitated.

— Oh! This isn't right. If only it were as simple as math. For example, one step plus two spins equals one curtsy. Or maybe two, no, three steps plus one curtsy equals one spin. Does that sound right? Ah, alright. Let's see if it works.

When she arrived at the ball, she was enchanted by the women and men gliding gracefully across the dance floor.

— Oh! I'm a princess who loves to dance, but can't.

Soon she saw her two friends standing upset in a corner. She learned that Prince Adrian wasn't coming to the ball.

— I'm sure the other princes here can dance well too. — Hmm, who cares about them?

Twyla shook her head disapprovingly and turned back to admire the dancers. After a while, a prince came and asked her to dance, which startled her.

— No, no, I don't know.

But before she could answer, he swept her onto the dance floor.

— Alright, don't panic! I'll calculate! One step plus two spins. Oh, no, it was only one! Three steps and a curtsy. No!

The people around them began to laugh at her antics.

— Ah, I'll find another princess to dance with.

Twyla was deeply ashamed. She fled the ball all the way back to her palace. The king and queen tried to talk to her, but she was too sad to listen.

Meeting Adrian

The next day, Twyla left the palace and began to walk without thinking where she was going.

— How will I ever learn to dance?

As she wandered, she came to a stream and sat down there, feeling upset.

— Oh! I want to dance! — Ah! — Who are you? — I am Adrian, prince of the Eastern kingdom. And you? — I am Twyla, princess of the Northern kingdom. You're the prince who dances best, aren't you? — Ah, my fans follow me everywhere. — I'm not your fan.

Adrian was amused and asked her why she had screamed so loudly. After much hesitation, she finally told him about her feet that refused to dance. She was grateful that he didn't laugh at her.

— Twyla, show me how you dance. — What? I just told you I can't.

But Adrian insisted, so she finally stood up.

— Let's see. Two steps plus one spin equals one curtsy.

No sooner had she finished than the prince burst out laughing.

— Laugh if you want, but that's the only way I know. — Dancing isn't a math problem. You have to feel it. When you let your soul laugh, your feet will laugh too. That is what dancing is.

Twyla was puzzled, but she saw that when he spoke of dancing, his eyes danced too, unlike those of the teachers who had tried to teach her.

Lessons from Nature

— Well, let me show you how to feel the rhythm first. Lady Stream, do you hear me?

Suddenly, a majestic woman, made entirely of water, rose from the stream.

Adrian explained everything to Lady Stream, who looked at Twyla with delight.

— Ooh-hoo! Hello, Adrian! Oh, and who is she? — I am Twyla. — Let's try to feel the rhythm, shall we? — Ooh-hoo! You want rhythm, don't you? How about this? Blup, djup, djup, djup. Blup, djup, djup, djup. Blup, djup, djup, djup. Blup, djup, djup, djup. — But, but... — It's alright. Have fun! — Oh, oh, oh! I'm getting it! — That's it! Now you're catching on. Now that you've learned how to feel the rhythm, let's teach you the spins. Oh, Mister Wind! — Yahoo! — Oh, what? — What a lovely rhythm you found, Adrian! — Oh, we're teaching Twyla to dance. Will you help us? — Of course! Come on, girl! Let me show you how to spin! — Oh! Ah! Ah! — Your feet are too stiff. Come on, feel free! Let yourself go completely! — Oh! Oh! I'm getting it! — Yes, that's it! Abla, djup, djup, djup. Abla, djup, djup, djup. Abla, djup, djup, djup. — Ooh-hoo! She dances very well! — Hmm, but you still need to move a little more. Let's take you to the seashore. That will help you even more.

So they said goodbye to Lady Stream and flew towards the seashore.

— You are very skilled at dancing. You know, it's just that until now, you haven't had the right teacher. — I'm glad I found you. I felt terrible because everyone else could dance, but I couldn't.

She told him how unhappy she was, because her friends always teased her so much.

— You shouldn't feel bad. Maybe they dance wonderfully, but they're not as nice as you. — Wow! How flattering! — Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Soon they reached the seashore and jumped down.

— Now let's call Lady Lana. — I'll call her! Lana! Yoo-hoo! — Is that Lady Lana? — Yes, we've been friends for decades! — Decades, and he still doesn't respect me! — Ah, hey, Lana! — What do you want? — We're teaching the twirler here. — Oh, I'm Twyla. — Yes, exactly! To teach Twyla to dance. Ah, I think Adrian should explain it better.

The spirit of the sea listened patiently to Adrian and then said to Twyla:

— Show me what you've learned!

Mister Wind began to sing the rhythms while Twyla hopped from one foot to the other.

— Djup, djup, djup. Djup, djup, djup. — Ha ha ha! — Oh, oh, oh, wait! What? You need to be agile! Agile like the waves that wash the sands. Learn to avoid the waves!

Twyla jumped and spun to the rhythm as she tried to avoid the waves coming towards her. Soon she began to dance very beautifully.

— That's it, Twyla, you're dancing!

But Twyla felt so good that she didn't hear him at all. Finally, the rhythm stopped, and Twyla also stopped dancing, tired, glowing, and with stars in her eyes.