Hello darlings! It's your favourite time-travelling ballerina, Emma, back with another adventure in the annals of ballet history. Today, I’m venturing back to the 10th of October, 1987. Can you imagine? A time when mobile phones weren’t even a glimmer in the eye of technology, when shoulder pads ruled the fashion scene, and everyone was rocking a killer perm! Oh, and that song by Whitney Houston… sigh just perfection.
My journey began as always, with a little whisper to Magic Meg. That’s my pink sparkly Shire horse – she’s got golden hooves, you know. Pure magic, she is! This time, we weren't heading to a particular theatre or performance, instead, we were off on a global ballet journey, embracing the kaleidoscope of dance happenings around the world on this very date in history!
Buckled up and nestled comfortably in my pink leather rucksack (which is chock-full of exciting ballet treasures), we set off, hooves drumming a rhythm on the shimmering sands of time. I mean, come on, isn't it utterly delightful to imagine a pink horse trotting through the clouds of time?
First stop – New York City, 1987. Oh, the city that never sleeps! That night, the New York City Ballet was performing "Jewels" at the Lincoln Center. Now, "Jewels" is a real ballet classic, isn't it? A gorgeous blend of three distinctly different pieces, each set to music by the legendary Igor Stravinsky. "Emeralds" is like a dream in green, "Rubies" sparkles and glitters, and "Diamonds" embodies classic elegance. Oh, how I yearn to see that performance again! It must have been electric with the energy of New York City, and of course, all the stylish ballerinas adorned in glittering costumes. Just thinking about it makes my pink tutu flutter with excitement!
Our next stop? We were jet-setting off to London! On that evening, The Royal Opera House was ablaze with a new production of "La Bayadère". Can you believe it? "La Bayadère" – with the hauntingly beautiful Nikiya, the glorious Solor, and the captivating Gamzatti! I absolutely love this ballet – all those magical characters, the gorgeous costumes, the grand sets… it just breathes romance and adventure. Oh, if I only could have been in the audience at that grand performance!
From the grandeur of Covent Garden, we travelled to the vibrant atmosphere of Tokyo. In the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Theatre, The K Ballet Company was performing their adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet". Prokofiev's score – so beautiful and heartbreaking. This is one ballet I would love to see danced by the Japanese dancers; imagine the intricate hand gestures and their exquisite precision!
I’m absolutely certain there were also so many other exciting ballet productions happening all over the world that night, but who could resist those three iconic ballets? They're like the crown jewels of the ballet world, aren't they?
As the day unfolded, we whisked ourselves across oceans and continents, stopping briefly in Paris, Rome, Sydney and countless other exciting cities, gathering inspiration from the dance world, imagining the colours, the emotions, and the energy radiating from the theatres.
And then, just as quickly as our journey began, we were back in Derbyshire, Magic Meg softly snorting her contentment as we disembarked at the edge of the shimmering forest, where the moonlight fell like a veil.
My pink leather rucksack was bursting with newfound stories, scribbled in my little notebook (which is still filled with vintage pink stationery). I’m soooo excited to delve deeper into my research.
And oh my, have I told you? Next week, I’m taking you to the 10th of October, 1887. It's a rather special date for the history of the ballet world – a milestone that you'll never guess…but if you can’t wait, you know what to do, darlings – head over to the ballet library!
Until next time, keep twirling and don't forget to dream pink!
Emma x
