Lud Romano - Tribute
Lena
I worked as her choreographer from ’82 thru ’85; mainly telly.
We had occasion to be in each other’s company for chunks of time and we obviously didn’t always talk about work, or steps, or music. She was at that time beginning to mature (she was around 17 or 18 by the end of our collaboration) and I would tease her about boys and who she fancied. Although to the outsider it may have seemed like typical banter between two young work colleagues, I had an ulterior motive; I had truly come to believe that she increasingly desperately was in need of a focus outside showbiz – or that of her family.
As a person, she was a lonely, confused little girl, way younger in mind than her years. As an artiste, she was world class, endowed as she was with a god-given gift of an instrument for a voice. Her prowess and maturity worked against her because it hid her vulnerability and fragility to the point where people forgot to look at the person. Forgot to help her.
There was a time when we were resting in the green room after rehearsal and she was really worried about her ability to ‘carry on’. I remember being surprised that such questions could even come into the mind of a highly successful 16 year old.
I learned much from her and I feel privileged to have had the honour to be part of her life; albeit for such a short time.
I worked as her choreographer from ’82 thru ’85; mainly telly.
We had occasion to be in each other’s company for chunks of time and we obviously didn’t always talk about work, or steps, or music. She was at that time beginning to mature (she was around 17 or 18 by the end of our collaboration) and I would tease her about boys and who she fancied. Although to the outsider it may have seemed like typical banter between two young work colleagues, I had an ulterior motive; I had truly come to believe that she increasingly desperately was in need of a focus outside showbiz – or that of her family.
As a person, she was a lonely, confused little girl, way younger in mind than her years. As an artiste, she was world class, endowed as she was with a god-given gift of an instrument for a voice. Her prowess and maturity worked against her because it hid her vulnerability and fragility to the point where people forgot to look at the person. Forgot to help her.
There was a time when we were resting in the green room after rehearsal and she was really worried about her ability to ‘carry on’. I remember being surprised that such questions could even come into the mind of a highly successful 16 year old.
I learned much from her and I feel privileged to have had the honour to be part of her life; albeit for such a short time.
