It's always been one of my mom's favorite sculptures and I've grown to adore it as well.
When my siblings and I were much younger we used to go the Bel Air library (we called it "the one with the train") every week to get new books for homeschooling . . . and books to read after school because we all just loved books. The library had a little store right by the entrance. One day, Miriam and I noticed that they sold pins with famous pieces of artwork on them. One of the pins was the "Little Dancer". We decided we had to get it for mom. We talked to Zach and Joel and we all saved up our money. (It was very secretive. We had to go up to our room and whisper about it so that mom wouldn't find out.) A few weeks later, Zach and Joel distracted mom at the library while Miriam and I snuck over to the library store and bought the pin. We were all so excited to get something meaningful for Mama that she didn't know about. I still remember handing the pin to her on her birthday and watching as she opened it.
Anyway (enough nostalgia for one day), you can read about the musical here. I particularly liked this paragraph where the director was talking about her research and ideas on the statue.
“'One of the interesting things for me is that the sculpture captures everything that is in between,' she said. 'Between girlhood and adulthood; between ballet positions; a piece of art that exists between classical and modern.' Degas, of course, is an important character, too, and as Ahrens observed, Marie interested him purely as a subject. 'He was a monk in art,' she said. 'He had no romantic relationships with women that were ever written about. He’s obsessed with her in that he finds some spirit in her.'" (Marks, "Kennedy Center Plans . . .")
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