Bea is always dancing
Practising polka steps around the house
Skipping and galloping
Never walking
She started ballet at two years old
And after a long break because of Covid
She is back to classes
Getting better all the time
And wanting to do more and more
Esther and Edie dance too
They all attend a local dance school
And go to different stage schools
At the weekends
Bea is wanting even more
So in 2024 I want to take her
To the theatre
And to the ballet especially
As much as possible
Sadly she was not able to see
The Snowman this past weekend
As she was at stage school
But between Christmas and New Year
I will be taking Bea and Esther
And I cannot wait!
Until then we will be reading books
Such as
And
To fill our hearts with awe and wonder
To inspire my dancers
To keep working hard
And enjoying their classes
To keep polkaing and pirouetting
In the playroom
Kicking in the kitchen
And leaping through the lounge
There is something so special
About dancing
That is about so much more
Than certain steps
It is a powerful form of art
A beautiful form of storytelling
We love the theatre and
The ballet
If you do too
Then these two
Brilliant and beautiful books
Could be for you
Is not only in the dancing
But in the stories
The dancers tell
The wonderful music
The enchanting costumes
The lights
The set of the stage
And the feel of the theatre
This book tells the tales
Of original ballets
As they were first performed
Little readers can discover
The festive wonder of
The Nutcracker
The haunting love story
Swan Lake
The fairytale of
The Sleeping Beauty
The traditional story of
The Firebird
The first ballet danced
En pointe
La Sylphide
Coppelia and Giselle
Each story is
Beautifully illustrated
By artist Lauren O’Hara
This is a book to
Enchant young readers
And keep tiny dancers
Spellbound
We will be reading these stories
While listening to the music
From the ballet
And watching snippets of the ballet
On You Tube
Children can research modern versions
Of the stories and the choreography
They can make up their own dances
To the music
Or paint how the
Music makes them feel
So much potential
Presented in the pages
Of this brilliant and beautiful book
To learn more about life at the ballet
Behind the scenes
Before a production begins
And while a show goes on
Young readers simply must read
This stunning book takes
Little readers
Behind the scenes at
And brings the hustle and bustle
Of backstage to life
This is a wonderful book
Every page is deliciously filled
With the sights and sounds
Of the theatre
We follow resident theatre cat
Figaro
Through the space and time
Of the theatre
From the Costume Department
To Wigs and Hats
From the Pointe Shoe Room
To the Scenery Department
My children loved learning
About The Prop Department
And the Armoury
They love dance, ballet
The theatre
They love dressing up
They love play fighting
They love making things
For their role play
And their small worlds
The creative process
Of putting on a ballet
Really engaged them
And hooked them in to
Wanting to know more
About the technical
And creative processes
That bring a dance show
A play, or an opera
To life on the stage
Bea loved the Ballet Studio
And the Rehearsal Room
These pages reminded her of
Ballet Shoes
And of her own dance lessons
And the shows that she has been in
We all loved exploring the
Costume Hall of Fame
And spotting the costumes
Of characters we know
From different ballets
When we turned the page to the
Dressing Room
As a long time amateur actress
I could smell the grease paint
And sense the anticipation
Of a show soon to begin
The Orchestra Pit
Conjures music
From the ballets that we know
The Snowman
The Nutcracker
Swan Lake
Romeo and Juliet
The curtain rising
With the audience in their seats
Made me want to clap my hands
With giddy excitement
I do get so emotional
Whenever we go to the theatre
To the ballet
I always cry
The theatre brings me such joy
And so many memories
Of my own theatre days
This book is written with
So much love for
The Royal Opera House
And it has made me so so so
Excited for my trip to
The Nutcracker
With Esther and Bea
In just a few weeks time
If you have aspiring dancers
Children with a passion for art
For design
Children who love to dress up
Put together outfits
Tell stories
Share this beautiful book with them
They may find their place
Behind the scenes at
The Royal Opera House
In the theatre
Or may want to
Tread the boards themselves
These two books
These two
Brilliant and beautiful books
Are filled with the magic of the ballet
Filled with awe, wonder and inspiration
For little readers
Tiny dancers
And their grown ups too
These books would make
Gorgeous gifts this Christmas
Perhaps with tickets to the ballet
Hidden inside!
That would be perfect x