Hello darlings! Emma here, reporting live from Basingstoke!
Well, what a day it's been. As I said in yesterday's post, my new favourite travel method is horse, so I thought I'd try it out for a quick trip over to Hampshire. It wasn't quite a straight gallop down from Derbyshire to Basingstoke. Let's just say my loyal steed had a bit of an unfortunate encounter with a particularly stubborn gate... and a cow. Oh, dear! I ended up hitchhiking on the back of a friendly farmer's truck - definitely not something I usually do! It added a bit of extra adventure to the trip, wouldn't you say?
Basingstoke, for those who aren't familiar, is this lovely little town with a gorgeous, historic centre. And, you know me - I was just bursting to explore. My trusty tutu (this time a bright, bold pink, naturally) swished happily as I navigated the cobbled streets. I could almost hear it say "Time to sparkle, darling!"
Speaking of sparkling, Basingstoke turned out to be the perfect place for a little bit of tutu therapy. The lovely folks at the Basingstoke Dance Centre have a simply wonderful class in ballet street. Ballet street, my loves, is where you take all those graceful moves from ballet and make them fierce and fun! It's like a ballet class with an extra helping of attitude (and a good dash of glitter, obviously). I've always said there's a bit of ballet street in every one of us!
And, let me tell you, my inner dancer was totally thrilled. We were moving, we were laughing, and we were glowing. It was the perfect way to kick-off my Basingstoke adventures.
My adventures continued with a whirlwind tour of the town. I saw a magnificent medieval church, a gorgeous park with a secret rose garden ( I just couldn't resist a twirl or two amongst the roses), and a quaint tea shop where I had the most delicious strawberry and cream cake ever! It was like a Victorian fairy tale!
The grand finale, though, was the performance of "The Sleeping Beauty" at The Haymarket. Honestly, my darlings, I am utterly spoilt for choice when it comes to ballet performances, and this one really wowed me. The dancing, the costumes, the story - everything was just perfect.
My heart did a little skip every time a dancer took to the stage in a tutu, and I swear my inner ballerina began to pirouette uncontrollably in the auditorium! There is something magical about ballet - it really does transport you to another world, and for that brief moment, all your worries just melt away.
And you know, that's kind of what this blog is all about. It's about spreading the joy of ballet and pink tutus. I really believe everyone has a little bit of ballerina inside them, just waiting to come out!
It's time to share a little something with you that always gets me in the mood to twirl (I'll be honoring the memories of "The Sleeping Beauty" for at least a week, if not longer, and it's a great excuse to try out this fun dance)!
(This is where Emma includes a short video of her doing a ballet sequence, with pink tutus featured in the background!)
Well, my darlings, that’s all for today. Basingstoke is an absolute treasure and I can't wait to come back. But before I leave, let's finish with a little affirmation: Today, I choose to twirl.
Love,
Emma xx
PS: If you have any fun places you would recommend for my next pink tutu adventure, let me know in the comments! And if you feel inspired to rock a pink tutu, tag me on social media!
