The Unfinished Dance 1947

Aspiring young ballet student Meg Merlin Margaret O’Brien lives with her aunt, Miss Merlin Ruth Brady, and idolizes the company’s renowned prima ballerina, Mlle. Ariane Bouchet Cyd Charisse. She often neglects her studies just to watch Bouchet rehearse, and only the patient intervention of her temporary guardian, the kindly clockmaker Mr Paneros Danny Thomas, keeps her from being expelled.

When Meg learns that the ‘first lady of ballet,’ Anna ‘La Darina’ Karin Booth has been hired by the ballet company, she fumes at the idea of Ariane being sidelined. She and her best friend Josie Elinor Donahue plot to sabotage Anna’s stay, starting with petty mischief like turning off the lights in the middle of a performance. Meg’s fixation even leads to a heated clash in the locker room with fellow student Phyllis Connie Cornell, earning her a formal reprimand. Later, during a prestigious performance of Swan Lake, her attempt to dim the house lights instead triggers a trap door, sending Anna crashing through the stage floor and sustaining a serious spinal injury, likely ending her ability to dance.

Phyllis grows suspicious and begins to suspect Meg, while Josie, feeling left out, worries that Meg has all the mischief and influence. Meg’s guilt deepens as she realizes the dangerous consequences of her actions. Anna, generous and resilient, returns to the school to help teach the students despite her injury. The tension climbs when Mr Paneros confronts Anna and inadvertently reveals Meg’s involvement; though the truth is painful, Anna forgives the child, choosing mercy over resentment. Anna later visits Bouchet one morning and tells her the truth about the accident. Horrified by the revelation, Bouchet returns to the ballet company and abandons her marriage plans.

With the truth out and reconciliations forming, the story culminates in a spirited performance of Holiday for Strings where Bouchet takes the leading role, supported by the entire company and the young dancers, including Meg, Josie, and Phyllis, who appear to have made peace with one another. Madame Darina watches benignly from the wings and seems to have fully embraced her new position as teacher and mentor. As Mr Paneros wisely remarked earlier, a truly ‘great lady’ is measured not only by talent, but by grace, guidance, and generosity toward those who share the stage.