Bravo!

There is no way I'd rather spend an evening than at the ballet.

I'd choose a night at the ballet over dinner in a gourmet restaurant, over a fab party, over any other type of theatre experience in a heartbeat. There is something so magical about it, and as I sit there watching, with teary eyes and chills, my heart literally aches because I am so in love with what I am seeing.

Tonight I spent the evening at the English National Opera House watching the ballet perform the Christmas classic: The Nutcracker. It was gorgeous inside! The theatre alone was almost as elegant as the ballet itself.

I could hum along to every note that Tchaikovsky wrote from start to finish. I love the music, I love the story, I love the tutus. Growing up, I went with my family every year to our local ballet to see The Nutcracker, until I was in it myself. So it is especially dear to my heart.

I realized my love for the ballet pretty late in life, so by the time I started taking classes I was too behind to ever be any good for my age. But I devoted a few years to trying, and loved every minute I spent in a pair of pointe shoes.

I always loved the Nutcracker and dreamed of being in soloist in a sparkling tutu and tiara. Once I joined the ballet myself, I couldn't wait to have a role in the show, to wear a fancy costume and dance on the stage! My debut part, at age 11, was a "fortune cookie."

Not familiar with that part, are you?

That's because it isn't real.

It was a part invented by the company to have extra spots for children who weren't good enough dancers to be a party girl or an angel. As a "fortune cookie," I had to wear a neon yellow set of trousers, with a blue Chinese style smock that had an enormous ying-yang on it, and a yellow coolie hat. I stood near the backdrop during the Chinese Number doing tondues. If I had had a little paper fortune as part of the fortune cookie costume, it would have said "your part is shit."

I also had a very glamorous role in the other big ballet the company did, The Wizard of Oz. I got to be a palace guard, complete with a bearded mask that covered my whole face.

Eventually though, I had my time to shine. In one of our smaller, recitals I was a soloist and got to wear a tutu. A day I will never forget. The way I felt in the gorgeous, white tulle costume, with my hair pulled back in a slick bun and a beautiful headpiece made me realize at age 13 that if I could have any job in the world, it would be a prima ballerina.

They are gorgeous, they are perfect, they are graceful, and their "work clothes" are rhinestone and sparkle covered dresses and crowns! I knew this dream of mine would never be realized, especially with my less than impressive resume of roles. So since I knew I would never be the star, and being in productions is only fun when you're the star - I hung up my toe shoes, and became an avid watcher instead.

So tonight, I played that role. My heart skipping a beat with every fouette.

The Nutcracker is especially fun to watch because while the music and choreography is always the same, every company tells the story slight different. What the English Ballet did differently that I really liked, was had a little girl play Clara in the beginning, and then once she falls asleep and the dream begins, a gorgeous, prima took over the role. So it was like Clara became an adult in her dream. Then, we they got to the Land of Sweets, Clara became the Sugar Plum Fairy! It was really quite genius, an adaptation I really enjoyed.

I also enjoyed Clara and the Nutcracker getting to the Land of Sweets via hot air balloon instead of a sleigh, and the gorgeous Snowflake costumes - all silver tutus - that made the snow dance by the entire corps simply incredible.

As the lights went up for intermission, I wasted no time dashing to the empty seat I spyed in the first row of the dress circle and claiming it as mine. As I took in my new and improved view of the theatre, I noticed people around me with ice cream! Turns out, intermission is 30 minutes long, so that people enough time for a trip to the ice cream stand and bar, if they fancy. And I definitely fancied!

I popped out of my seat and went to the find the sweets! It didn't take me long to find the way with the help of this lovely sign.

"Interval Ice Creams," what a brilliant idea! The combination of ballet and ice cream was too good to be true! I love this country!

The bar was also packed with people sipping champagne while they ate their ice cream and other nibbles that were available for purchase.

They were many delicious flavor options, from blackcurrant to staw-bury but I went for Belgian chocolate.

A delicious intermission treat!

Sitting in my plush, red velvet seat, slowly spooning my chocolate dinner into my mouth and waiting for Act 11 to begin, I couldn't imagine anything better. The second half was even more enjoyable from my new and improved seat. I watched every pirouette longingly, thinking - if only I could be a Prima.

I guess if I were a Prima I couldn't have eaten chocolate ice cream for dinner though. Or anything at all for that matter. I would also not be able to wear a variety of cute sandals because of my blistered, ballet feet, and that would be very sad. Maybe there are good reasons why I was not destined to be a ballerina after all.

So I will never do a develope on the stage of the Opera Garnier or the London Coliseum, and I will always have to wear normal clothes to work instead of fabulous creations of gemstones and tulle. But at least I can dance down the streets in ballet shoes courtesy of TopShop, and let the Prima inside of me be the star of the show, everyday.

And to that I say, Bravo!