Friday 8 July 2011

The Magic of Dance.............

Many, many years ago there lived a little girl who loved going to ballet classes. She learnt to courtsey professionally and her 1st to fifth positions. But alas, as so much in childhood, she made the decision to stop going to ballet and joined brownies instead. Fast forward several years and this now teenager loved watching the ballet, her favourite dancer Dame Margot Fonteyn.

She would wait with anticipation the evening when Margot would come on to the television and present her programme the Magic of Dance. It was part history of dancing and dancers but also a showcase for Margot and the amazing Rudolph Nureyev to dance extracts from famous ballets.



Over the years, this now adult watched many a ballet at the theatre including La Fille Mal Garde, Les Sylphide, Swan Lake, 2 versions of Cinderella, Giselle and still wants to see The Nutcracker and Matthew Bourne's all male Swan Lake. But it is Margot and Nureyev she wishes she had seen live.

Not only live ballet but ballet in film plays an intimate role in the development of her love for ballet. The film ''The Red Shoes'' being a favourite................see a scene from the integral ballet scenes here.............



3 comments:

  1. Another ballet lover here ...

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  2. Ah, me too. I went to a class or two a week, from the age of 4, until I was in my mid-twenties. Sorry I stopped really! I was never talented, but I did enjoy it.
    I used to love seeing ballets with Fonteyn dancing - she was all of our heroine! I remember being taken to see a "live ballet" once, by our dance teacher. It was so exciting to go to a real theater in London, sit in the circle and watch a real live performance. I had only ever been to a pantomime or children's show before, so this was my first ever "grown up" theatre. I think the ballet was Swan Lake, but in fact, I can't remember! I just recall the excitement.

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  3. What a great post. I saw Nureyev (albeit in his declining years, but he was still elegant)in Afternoon of the Fawn shortly after I started college, and he was amazing! The one I always wanted to see was Baryshnikov! I loved the movie The Turning Point. I took ballet all through high school and still love it.
    Rinda

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Hello and thank you so much for stopping by. It is always a pleasure to read the comments I receive and to meet new friends. I try and reply to comments on friend's blogs as much as possible. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and look forward to seeing you here again soon. Love Jo xxx