METROPOLITAN DIARY
Columbus Circle
Dear Diary:
I often pass though the plaza at the center of Columbus Circle, where the perimeter of fountains muffles the din of traffic and creates a delightful oasis.
Once, when I was flittering through early in the morning, I saw a young woman in a ballerina’s outfit sit down, change from her street shoes into dance shoes and put in a pair of earbuds.
For 15 glorious minutes, I watched as she danced around the statue of Christopher Columbus for an audience of one: me.
I could not hear the music, but I could see the grace and beauty it inspired. It was thrilling. The woman seemed to dance for the sheer love of it.
When she finished, she bowed softly.
Instinctively, I stood up and bowed back in response.
“Exuberance,” I said quietly.
About a week later, and in a spot not far away, I was walking in the street with lots of people late in the afternoon when a young woman stepped out of the crowd.
“Exuberance,” she said, and then melted away.
— Geoffrey Kovall
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/09/nyregion/metropolitan-diary.html