The best part of the holidays was, as I had expected, going back to my dance school, Rochelle. Despite being exhausted from my long journey, the day after arriving home, I was back in the studio. My beloved teacher Miss Kaye looked as if a thousand Christmasses had come at once when I walked in- and Olivia, one of the children who I used to teach, ran straight to me, and flung her tiny five year old self into a silent hug that clearly said 'thank goodness you're back!! I was starting to worry you'd forgotten me!!" Being back at Rochelle was an incredibly inspiring reminder of what I am aiming to achieve- Miss Kaye tells me that I inspire the children, but what they probably don't realise is that they are all, in their own unique way, an amazing inspiration to me too. Miss Kaye asked me to teach a Primary class- they certainly enjoyed learning repertoire from Ballet West's Nutcracker!! And a grade 1 class. I asked the grade 1 children what ballets they had seen, and what would they like to learn? Their answer was unanimous- they loved Swan Lake. Which was a relief to me, as I know a variety of corps de ballet and soloist roles in Swan Lake. I decided to teach them the corps de ballet Swans' entrance, which I learnt at the London Coliseum a year ago. Although their steps weren't perfect, they were all determined to do their best. I realised, in that moment, that I may never be in the corps de ballet of a professional company. But I had my own corps de ballet, of nine young dancers, who were not only eager to please me, but they were eager to learn. I had something to achieve, and for once, I achieved it; every single child was smiling as they left the studio after class. Some even waited behind, to ask me more about Swan Lake, about Ballet West, about performing on stage.
As I gain more experience in teaching, I realise that my destiny lies in passing on the gift of inspiration through dance- not, as I once aspired, in a company, but instead as a teacher. Nothing can describe the sense of liberation of discovering my gift.
Even just for an hour, on a cold, wintery Saturday afternoon, I can make a difference to the lives of the children who come to me, placing their trust in me- even just for an hour, in a church hall, overlooked by those walking past, we can create magic- we can all be Swans on the Royal Opera House stage.
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