tion id="ue273d388-b489-5667-94be-9104d53905a4">
To Phoebe and Zoe, as they are the inspiration behind Magic Ballerina.
Contents
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 was half skipping, half jogging down the road, clicking her fingers and flicking her wrists. She hardly ever just walked normally these days. That would be too boring.
It was a beautiful Saturday morning, sunny and bright. Inside her head music was pulsing, and the strong beat filled every part of her body. It felt great. But then she realised she was getting very near that house with the brass plate on the door: MADAME ZA-ZA’S SCHOOL OF BALLET and her feet began to slow. Why ever had she thought to come here? It just wasn’t her. She tried to imagine herself in the ballet class, wearing a leotard and tights, her hair scraped back in a bun, the red shoes on her feet…
The red shoes! A little surge of excitement whizzed through Jade’s body. It was the shoes that had set her off on this whole ballet thing. Someone had left them in a parcel on Jade’s doorstep with a note attached. Jade could remember the words exactly, she’d read them so often.
Dear Jade,
These shoes are for you. I know you love dancing and I really hope you find out how special they are. Madame Za-Za’s ballet school is just down the road and she is a brilliant teacher. Go and see her – and take the shoes. You won’t regret it. I promise.
And ever since the afternoon when she’d received the shoes, she’d turned over and over in her mind what had happened earlier that day.
She had been in her front garden, showing her two little sisters some street dance moves, when suddenly she’d realised that a girl was watching her. The girl had told Jade that she was a brilliant dancer, and asked if she did ballet. Thinking about that now made Jade feel embarrassed. She’d replied very rudely – saying that everyone who did ballet wore silly little tutus.
Jade knew she shouldn’t have said that, but she’d felt annoyed at the time. Why would she like ballet just because she loved street dancing? Ballet looked so stiff and awkward.
You couldn’t just let the music carry you along.
That’s why it had been such a surprise to find the shoes. If they were so special why would someone give them to her when she didn’t even like ballet?
Anyway, there wasn’t time to think about that now. She’d decided to give it a chance and her mother had phoned ahead and booked her into a trial lesson. As she stood at the bottom of the steps that led up to the big front door, she breathed in deeply.