Oh, the drama!
It's the 5th of June, 2005. A day that will live in dance history, as far as I'm concerned, anyway. You see, it was on this very date that the world of ballet exploded. Well, maybe not quite exploded, but it certainly had a mini-earthquake tremor!
The news arrived on a gust of wind, swirling into my tiny flat as I practiced my arabesque in my pink, feathered tutu. Now, you may be thinking, "Feathered tutu? That sounds terribly flamboyant, darling!" You are correct, but, frankly, I feel it's the only appropriate attire to receive news of this magnitude. Let me tell you what happened.
The grande dame of ballet, the epitome of elegant grace, Madame Gigi – yes, that Gigi! - had a complete and utter meltdown. No, not a dainty, "my pearls have slipped, darling" kind of meltdown, but a full-on, "I've eaten too much cheese and now I'm stuck in this frilly tutu, help me!" sort of thing.
Why? Why, you ask, would Madame Gigi have a meltdown? Well, it all started with a little matter of *leotards.* You know, those skin-tight, sometimes shiny, usually sweat-inducing creations. The kind that every aspiring ballerina dreams of wearing. But hold on, darling, it wasn't any ordinary leotard, oh no. It was a *sparkly* one!
This, you see, caused a storm in the hallowed halls of the National Ballet Company. You see, *sparkly* leotards are, according to the strict, if slightly ridiculous, dress code, **absolutely not permitted.** A daring young dancer, Miss Pippa Pennyworth, had gone and donned a shockingly iridescent, gold-flecked, frankly dazzling leotard in her solo. A *gold-flecked* leotard! And during a classical *Swan Lake* no less. Shocking!
Let me just describe the scene: Miss Pennyworth gracefully glided across the stage. A glorious vision of a ballerina in a white tutu – everything about her was traditional ballet elegance until – gasp! - that sparkly leotard! The stage lights glinting off those flecks like a disco ball in a ballroom.
Madame Gigi, apparently quite prone to *faux pas* of her own, went straight for the phone. One swift ring to the stage manager later, Miss Pennyworth was ordered offstage and reprimanded with the seriousness of a reprimand in *Hamlet* – but louder!
Now, here is the drama: Madame Gigi did, you see, allow a *small* glimmer of change. A **tiny** touch of innovation. It turned out she'd made her *own* wardrobe adjustments – **tiny sequins** around her ballet shoes and – yes, you're reading this correctly – **one sparkling, pink bow** to grace the neckline of her otherwise prim, white tutu.
Here is the bigger, bigger picture. We’re looking at nothing less than a *ballet revolution*. Will ballerinas finally break free from the shackles of tradition and the oppression of, dare I say, **boring** leotards and tutus? Could the era of sparkle be upon us?
I can't imagine it any other way, darling. We must, at least for a little while, embrace the fun and the flare of the sequin. It is our *duty*. What does Madame Gigi herself say about this sparkling evolution?
"If my shoes can sparkle, well darling," – and her little voice tinkled, as it always did – " then by golly, every ballerina can! After all, even a swan needs a touch of sparkle, wouldn’t you say?"
Just like that, darling, the dance world is forever changed. We are now in the era of the sparkly swan. Or is that a *sparkly* *disco* swan? Oh, I just can’t make up my mind. It is too exciting!
Now, where did I leave that emerald green feather boa…
**I predict**:
- **A whole new breed of sparkly ballet shoes – from a rainbow of colours. Even *pink* and *gold*. Think, darling, of all the possible dazzling colours! The sky’s the limit!**
- **Pink tutus will have a sparkly *boom*. I mean, really, pink tutus were practically MADE for sequins! Pink and sparkle - divine!**
- **I see the dawn of a whole new kind of dance – 'Disco Ballet'. Imagine a sparkling, *sexy*, twirling ballet, featuring *all* sorts of sequins! A *flash dance* like no other. Can’t you imagine it?**
- **And finally, a new stage-kiss trend: sparkly, sequin lips. Because who doesn't love a good bit of glitter? And just think of the kissing! Sparkly lip-to-sparkly lip? I'd pay good money to see it!**
And the most exciting development of all, darling? My friend *Sparkle*, the new pink poodle (with the most stunning sparkle collar) - *she* says that the future is shiny, oh, so shiny! I wonder if she'll be the *star* of Disco Ballet?