Cinderella (my first ballet) - Sadler's Wells

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Took 7 year-old DD to see Cinderella last night at the Peacock in London.

 

Remi Nakano was absolutely exquisite as Cinderella and looked like she was loving every second of her performance - DD said she could have watched her for hours and I totally agree, I'll be looking out for her in future. 

 

For those that haven't come across the My First Ballet series, they are classical ballets danced by the students at the ENBS and members of the ENB and aimed at younger children. There is a narrator on stage and the whole performance is cut down to around an hour. Last year was Sleeping Beauty which was also excellent.

 

I wasn't too keen on the idea initially - thought the talking would detract from the music and the dance - but it is done fantastically well. She plays the part of the grown-up Aurora or Cinderella looking back at her life, and is a fabulous actress - different voices for all the characters, and explains some of the mime used in the choreography. I have a feeling I will miss her at the next adult ballet as I learnt quite a lot!

 

It's perfect for children who enjoy watching ballet but aren't quite ready for a full-length programme. There is also high tolerance of whispering and fidgeting which is both good (if you own a fidgeter) and bad (if you own a child who can't stand noise), and worth bearing in mind if you are very irritated by mild disruptions. The evening performances are much better than the matinees if you want less background noise.

 

Ticket prices also good - two front row seats in the circle were £40 for the pair.