To Phoebe and Zoe, as they are the inspiration behind Magic Ballerina.
Table of Contents
The White Cat’s Magic Ballerina Quiz
Welcome to the world of Enchantia!
I have always loved to dance. The captivating music and wonderful stories of ballet are so inspiring. So come with me and let’s follow Jade on her magical adventures in Enchantia, where the stories of dance will take you on a very special journey.
p.s. Turn to the back to learn a special dance step from me…
In the soft, pale light, the girl stood with her head bent and her hands held lightly in front of her. There was a moment’s silence and then the first notes of the music began. For as long as the girl could remember music had seemed to tell her of another world – a magical, exciting world – that lay far, far away. She always felt if she could just close her eyes and lose herself, then she would get there. Maybe this time. As the music swirled inside her, she swept her arms above her head, rose on to her toes and began to dance…
Jade took a deep breath and let herself go, dancing with all her heart. But even as she moved, she knew she wasn’t expressing the music properly. Her feet had too much bounce in them, her wrists had too much flick in them and her arms had too much stretch in them.
She looked up at her ballet teacher, Madame Za-Za. “Sorry, it wasn’t really ballet dancing, was it?” said Jade, biting her lip.
Madame Za-Za nodded. “You are quite correct, Jade, it was not.”
A silence, which seemed to fill every corner of the small studio at Madame Za-Za’s School of Ballet, followed her comment. Jade sighed. She’d come to this audition for the end of term show wanting to dance her very best and now she’d messed it up. The solo she’d chosen was one that Beauty did in the ballet of Beauty and the Beast. She knew the dance was supposed to be smooth and serene and she’d started off well. But then after no time at all, she’d found herself doing what came naturally to her – making it a bit more energetic and free. A bit more street. Street dance had always been Jade’s favourite type of dancing until she’d discovered ballet. Now, though, she loved them both.
Madame Za-Za’s dark eyes were fixed on her. “You don’t always have to jazz everything up to enjoy the dance, you know,” she said softly. “You’ll find a way.”
Jade nodded. “I just couldn’t help myself,” she said, her eyes coming to rest on her red ballet shoes. Immediately she felt a shiver of excitement run through her that made everything seem all right. It was always the same when she looked at her amazing shoes. They were magic and had the power to whisk her away to Enchantia – a land where the characters from all the different ballets lived. Jade had been there twice already and had the most amazing adventures with her new friend the White Cat. But she shouldn’t be thinking about that now. She should be concentrating on her teacher.
Madame Za-Za was bending gracefully to get something from her bag – a scarf, as fine and floaty as a feather. She held it lightly as she talked to Jade. “Sometimes it is appropriate to bring a lively bouncing energy to a dance,” she said, “but with Beauty’s solo, it is definitely not. This is a smooth pure classical solo. It needs soft expressive movements.”