Ballet Shoes, if you didn’t know, is an extremely popular book amongst young British girls from the 1930s. It tells the story of three young orphans who have been picked up on an explorer’s travels and sent to live in his house in London. Throughout the book they learn to sing, dance and act so they can earn money as performers to support the household. The title comes from the pair of ballet shoes that arrive with the youngest, Posy. It’s a story I had never heard of until coming into this country. Reluctant to read it after having it forcibly thrust into my hands by my fiancé, I instead had it read to me, as I just couldn’t picture it with my antipodean accent in my head and instead needed a true Brit to read it to me (my best excuse yet).
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the book. It’s witty and light, and the pace is perfect for children, never dwelling on any event too long. This is why I got rather excited when said fiancé secured tickets to a staging of Ballet Shoes by Sadler’s Wells and the London Children’s Ballet (LCB). I assumed I’d be witnessing a play with dancing and music. I assumed wrong. Instead I witnessed a ballet based on the story, performed entirely by children between the ages of 9 to 15. After recovering from the initial shock and slight disappointment (the entire story isn’t about ballet), I became quite confused. I have endeavoured to review every piece of theatre, dance and cabaret I see on stage in London. I’ve so far failed twice, once with Hairspray, due to laziness, and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, due to seeing the final performance. However, I feel slightly at odds reviewing a piece that only contains children. How can I compare the work of 30 odd children to seasoned west end performers? Instead this is a psuedo-review. What that means exactly, I’m not sure, but it puts my conscience at rest.
This is the second time LCB, having commissioned and staged the ballet in 2001. The show suffers slightly as a ballet, as the whole story isn’t about ballet and therefore one of the characters becomes the focus. Also, the dialogue in the book is brilliant and witty and would work well staged. However, despite this I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Everythe bal dancer on stage was a pleasure to watch, and there was some truly exceptional talent amongst the cast. It’s surprising to read in the program that only 50% of LCB performers go on to pursue professional dance or theatre, with 25% not even retaining dance as a hobby. I always find it a shame to see talent like that wasted, usually due to a career in arts not being seen as a serious career.
There were some exceptional performers amongst a very strong cast. The three girls who play Pauline (Laura Croom), Petrova (Lowri Shone) and Posy (Maria Gregory) were all very good dancers. Surprisingly, it was Shone, as Petrova, who was the standout of the three. In the book, Petrova is the one girl who doesn’t excel, prefering cars and aeroplanes. However, to say she was the best dancer is like picking your favourite member of the Rat Pack. They were all very good, with perfect characterisation for each girl. The other two standouts for me were the young men who played Mr Simpson (Ben Radford) and the Stage Manager. Both were exquisite to watch, with immense talent, something that was made more apparent with the gorgeous pieces of choregraphy they were given. Really, there were only one or two dancers with parts who weren’t up to the same standard as the rest of the company. Even then, these were still extremely talented dancers, especially given their age.
The fact that this show was included in the Sadler’s Wells season is a testament to the talent of these youngsters. However, it’s heartening to see a major dance company like Sadler’s Wells work with a company like LCB. Not enough large theatre companies are supporting youth arts initiatives such as this and puting them in seasons amongst the best performers in their field.
Ballet Shoes played at the Peacock Theatre from 22-25 April.
