A Captivating Performance Brings the House Down

An enchanting evening

The White Swan dances en pointe at a performance of Swan Lake

I was captivated as a young girl when I watched ballerinas float elegantly across the television screen, their grace and beauty enchanting. I love the way the dancers portray a story with their bodies in such a beautiful way without uttering a single word.

I had ballet lessons as a little girl and could even do the en pointe technique. For a short time. Then it hurt. A lot. My daughter took ballet lessons too. I have a photograph of her on my desk aged about 5 wearing a pink tutu and a sun hat when we lived in Saudi Arabia. I still have her first tiny pair of pink leather ballet shoes in my special box.

I have always wanted to see Swan Lake and last night, my expectations were well and truly exceeded, when my husband and I watched a performance by The Royal Ballet Company at The Royal Opera House in London. The evening was magical from start to finish. The choreography was stunning and the dancers took my breath away with their captivating performance.

Out hunting, Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans. One among them transforms into the beautiful human Odette and he is immediately enamoured. But Odette is bound by a spell which keeps her captive as a swan during the day. Can Siegfried free her?

Tchaikovsky’s sensational score combines with the evocative imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane to heighten the dramatic pathos of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s quintessential ballet classic.

(Quote from the Royal Opera House website)

The audience was very appreciative and clapped rapturously after scenes which had us all mesmerised. When the show ended, the clapping was almost deafening. The Company played out the story with skill and the entire performance was magical. Watching twenty-four ballerinas dressed in white skittering around in formation in a complex and challenging routine was a sight to behold. Their grace, beauty, elegance, timing and posture was incredible. The orchestra was magnificent and the combination of watching the dancers in time to the incredible score of Tchaikovsky’s music was something I will never forget.

Performances run until 28th June at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, so if you want to be enraptured by a magical performance, I suggest you book now before it gets sold out.

What I have been reading recently

This is Ashley Elston’s debut adult thriller novel and it is brilliant. It was one of those books I couldn’t wait to pick up and didn’t want to put it down until I had read the very last word. Ashley manages to captivate so much in one sentence and draws you in. So much so, you feel like you are there, in the scene, with the characters. As a writer myself, that is a skill that I truly admire. If you want a fast-paced read with a great story, this book is definitely worth a read.

As one who dislikes winter and the dark, cold, wet nights, I was looking forward to Spring. However, here in my corner of England, Spring has yet to take a foothold but keeps getting beaten back. It’s dismal. We have had nothing but rain, rain and more rain. People say that the British are obsessed with talking about the weather. I am not surprised. On our journey to London by train, we saw nothing but water logged farmland which resembled paddy fields rather than stretches of strong, healthy crops, which they should be at this time of the year. It must be a nightmare for farmers trying to grow crops in such difficult, and I would think, impossible conditions.

I am hopeful that the sun will start to warm the sodden earth and the landscape will start to dry out. We can but live in hope. If crops cannot be planted, food cannot be grown. Very worrying indeed.

I hope all is well wherever you are in the world. I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment below. In the meantime, have a great week. And don’t forget, if you would like to support me as a writer, you can upgrade to paid by clicking on the subscribe button. It’s less than the cost of a cup of coffee per month. It would mean the world to me and I am grateful to each and every one of you who take the time to read my writing. Free or paid, you are all special. Thank you.

Rosy.