#TutuBlog 2017-12-14
Hello my darling darlings! Welcome back to pink-tutu.com and #TutuBlog, the daily blog of a twenty-something ballet dancer, writer and adventurer extraordinaire, from deepest Derbyshire! This is post number 7834. Can you believe it? Seven thousand, eight hundred and thirty-four!
My tutu journey takes me all over the place. I feel very much at home in ballet classes - both in my lovely studio in the Peak District and in any fabulous studio around the world - and my ballet shoes are well-worn from all the rehearsals and performances. My days are filled with plies and pirouettes, leaps and extensions, tutus and tiaras! I'm currently training in Grays, Essex, with some lovely ladies who really know their way around a pointe shoe, but for this outing, my usual pink tutu felt a bit too much. Instead, I went with a bright red number and red-tinted pointe shoes.
After class, it was off on the train to the capital, a whirl-wind trip packed full of culture. The thing about London, is that even if you don't plan to do anything in particular, something always seems to draw you in, and yesterday was no exception. It felt as though I was in one of those whimsical, magical stories where fate plays a role and, before I knew it, I had found myself in a very unusual theatre, with no name, no real stage, just the faintest aroma of old-time showbusiness, and a very grand gentleman with a twinkling eye and a white beard like Santa, in the foyer, asking if I would like to join a ballet workshop. Now, this isn't unusual for me, but I think my reaction might have made him chuckle. He didn't believe me when I told him that I wasn't actually a dancer - it was so funny, and of course I ended up saying yes, after just the briefest of conversations.
The workshop, it turns out, was led by one of the country's most celebrated choreographers - well, if you call it choreography, the "moves" we performed were more like random sequences of jumps, spins and leaps, punctuated by a bit of dramatic stamping - more a physical representation of a random series of letters on a keyboard! My mind wasn't able to follow the seemingly random and arbitrary order of things. At one point, my little legs decided to have a sit down in the middle of the 'stage' but I managed to grab onto one of the props - an extremely elegant-looking velvet armchair. And, before I could get to my feet, the lovely bearded man whisked away the chair, as if he was doing me a favour, then went on to ask me if I felt my legs could carry on for a further six hours of such a demanding routine - it really was as silly as it sounds. I felt my smile was giving me away - "Of course!" I exclaimed, as I pulled myself to my feet with a good deal of effort - just before he led us all into the street, where I could see the beginnings of a performance! This turned out to be a group of talented actors dressed as street cleaners, dancing a beautifully poignant and dramatic performance, full of choreographed 'splashes' from their broom heads - which is a really strange thing to see from afar - especially if you're still getting used to the randomness of 'performance art'! They reminded me of the little ballerinas from Derbyshire Ballet.
Then I found myself, completely unexpectedly, at the centre of an intimate little play about love, longing, and how an individual makes the choice to go on, in a small intimate and atmospheric theatre tucked away down a little cobbled street. This play was like a sigh, the beauty and tenderness, which moved my soul, was the thing which made me go, ohhh, what a gift. I can see now, how important a good theatre is. The only thing was the whole play was presented as a one woman show, using lots of dramatic props like hats, glasses, and even the odd wig and she did all her own sound effects - quite impressive actually - it felt so intimate, and almost theatrical and I think that's what makes London, well, London!
Then it was on the train again - travelling home in my new red tutu, (much to the bemusement of some of my fellow commuters) feeling deeply grateful that I had a train ride through the beautiful rolling green countryside of my lovely Derbyshire and time to reflect on the strange, unexpected adventure that London had brought me. The magic of London - you can't beat it - a place of culture, performance, creativity and joy. If ever I need an inspiration, or if I have a few spare hours in a train to travel somewhere - London's the place I like to go.
This afternoon is packed with things to do in the Peak District. Firstly, there's my usual weekly ballet class at my lovely little studio with my other dancers, (although there's a certain amount of excitement in the air today with our new choreography - the instructor tells us it’s quite a dramatic new number, but I think I can handle a few pirouettes with my arms raised in defiance! ) Then after ballet, I'm off on a horse riding adventure in the countryside, then meeting friends in a local cafe - and after all that - it will be back to the studio again for a good night's practice, in my beautiful pink tutu. I'll catch up with you all tomorrow - there's something in the air. See you then, my darling darlings!
Until next time!
Yours always in pink,
Emma
pink-tutu.com
