I want to give a huge and heartfelt public “thank you” to the Eugene Ballet for its world premiere of Toni Pimble’s The Little Mermaid.

To a queer Jewish trans woman, The Little Mermaid is a story that has lived in me since I was a child. This story is a thing among trans people and, for many of us, was an early signpost pointing the way for us to come to know we are in our lives. The performance, costume and set design that the Eugene Ballet gave to Eugene was an absolute stunning joy to watch and was an incredible gift to me. Thank you, thank you so much.

In a world where the struggle and terror we are facing is unprecedented in this political season, it was nice to be able to go to the ballet and truly feel like I was a part of your world for a couple of hours before mermaids like myself get turned into seafoam at dawn.

Joy is the fundamental resistance.

Annika Sparkles

Eugene