#35 Watch a ballet


If you have reached 50 and never seen a ballet, it is only fitting to start with The Nutcracker, at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden no less!

I visited in January, when the Omicron variant was at its most troublesome, and in the seven days leading up to the show I had already received three emails detailing cast changes. On arrival the latest substitutions were on display in the foyer, followed by an announcement of yet more changes by the director just before the performance began. A further message at the end of the interval informed us that yet another change was being made in the second half and one wondered if there were any dancers left. At any moment the audience might be urgently asked "is there a dancer in the house?"

Many of the company were dancing parts that they were quite unfamiliar with but their performances were still extraordinary and never has applause been so well deserved.




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