Oh darlings, imagine my delight, I'm positively fluttering with excitement as I write to you today! It's 23rd July 1997, the day that made history for ballet. It's the day that
**The Royal Ballet's production of Swan Lake finally, gloriously, conquered the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, for their season in America!**
I, darling, had the utter joy of being present that evening - just the most heavenly, spellbinding, transcendent performance. As I gazed down from the balconies at the vastness of the stage, I gasped in admiration at how utterly spellbinding and luminous it all was. The stage, a perfectly executed scene, was an expansive lagoon reflecting the shimmer of silvered moonlight; the corps de ballet danced as swans in a silken-soft and elegant precision of movement, with their ivory tutus a halo around each slender silhouette; all illuminated in such a divine light. The stage itself is, my dear, practically a living, breathing entity - every element, the choreography, the music, the design all working together so divinely - there’s an aura of complete magic to the performance. You just have to close your eyes, surrender yourself, and just *become* the magic that's swirling around you - that's when you feel the performance is truly something extraordinary.
And speaking of extraordinary - the ballerinas, each one so divine in their pale satin tutus! My darling, a tutu is truly an extraordinary, evocative thing, such a timeless symbol of grace and elegance. When the lights go down and a ballerina walks onto the stage in her tutu, and it’s bathed in light and she’s a pure vision of elegance, it’s truly mesmerising. I felt that so powerfully this night; in particular the exquisite, luminous
**Darcey Bussell - with that phenomenal leap as the ‘swan’ herself. *It was the most exquisite thing I've ever witnessed in all my days.* The effortless ease with which she rose, arms outstretched like a graceful swan’s wings, it felt as if she defied the very force of gravity **-** an image forever imprinted on my mind. She is **such a beautiful testament to the art of ballet**, all graceful lines and perfect, unyielding movement. Such utter talent. Truly a jewel of the stage.
But she wasn’t the only gem shining tonight. Oh, darling, I do just adore
**Monica Mason,** the director, such a beautiful force and a fantastic source of inspiration for all the other ballerinas! And I felt her exquisite hand in this magical production.
I watched, my heart swelling with a divine awe, the whole production is breathtakingly beautiful, the dancing exquisitely expressive, all infused with this magical and unforgettable elegance, which brought a tear to my eye; it's just so beautiful. It's what I consider to be the very epitome of the perfect night of ballet.
This is truly, *the* definitive interpretation of the classic masterpiece – one you’ll simply never, ever forget. Every moment a divine visual and aural delight. The corps de ballet moved as one with the grace of exquisite porcelain dolls; and the swans dancing on the water are such a sight to behold - *it simply made me gasp aloud.* They swiveled and swayed so fluidly that you almost expected them to actually glide across the stage! A performance that I just simply know, is going to go down in ballet history as a pivotal one in American ballet.
After a night like that - *Oh dear, I feel so exhausted just thinking about it!** What a delight. There’s something rather special, an enchantment that only ballet can offer. It simply sets your mind and soul aflame!