A Declaration of Independence
Every time I visit Great Aunt Nora in her assisted living home in the center of Manhattan, I know she will fascinate me with her extraordinary stories about travel and life as a dancer on Broadway. Despite her failing memory, she exploits her rich past with occasional jewels of information that reveal her many sides. A theme that pervades all of her stories and her life is independence. Nora Bristow went against the grain of society by being an independent woman in the mid-twentieth century. In the 1940s, it was unusual for a 16-year-old girl to move from her home in Hillburn, New York to New York City, where she studied ballet at the School of American Ballet on Madison Avenue, George Balanchine’s troupe. She went on to perform in a variety of shows including Ballet Ballads and Can-Can, and was associated with a group called Ernie Richman and the Mannequins. One time, Aunt Nora found herself seated next to Judy Garland, who said to Nora, “I have seen your work.”
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The irony of an unfortunate date leading her image to be published in a magazine is a tribute to Aunt Nora’s independence. Despite Aunt Nora’s independent nature, she loves interacting with people and having good conversations. I know how much she appreciates my family’s visits by the excitement with which she speaks. She need us to support her and we are happy to be there for her. However, the best things in her life came from individuality. From gracing the stages of Broadway to travelling the globe, her greatest success and happiness were products of independence. Aunt Nora has an unbelievable amount of courage to challenge traditional expectations, which inspires me to deny society’s criteria for women in my own