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To Phoebe and Zoe, as they are the inspirationbehind Magic Ballerina.
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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 Rosa on her magical adventures in Enchantia, where the stories of dance will take you on a very special journey.
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 …
The light was fading, but the summer air was still warm on Rosa’s skin and she could smell the scent of jasmine blossom in the air. She was standing with her best friend, Olivia, in the backstage area of an open-air theatre. There were stands of seats on three sides. Rosa could hear the faint squeaks as people shifted in their chairs.
“Isn’t this brilliant?” Rosa whispered to Olivia as they watched the dancers on the brightly lit stage. She tucked her pale blonde hair behind her ears. “I can’t wait to go on and dance again.”
Olivia nodded excitedly. “Me too!”
Rosa, Olivia and six other girls from Madame Za-Za’s ballet school, had been chosen to take part in an outdoor ballet called Shim Chung. It told the story of a beautiful girl called Shim Chung who was captured by sailors and held on their boat. They were then shipwrecked, so she went to live underwater with the Sea Dragon King … until she met a handsome prince who, later she married.
Rosa, Olivia and the other girls were dancing the parts of the young mermaids. They had already been on stage once that night, doing a dance to entertain Shim Chung, and now they were waiting for their second entrance. This dance was Rosa’s favourite. It was a beautiful slow dance to soft, dreamy music where they had to lull Shim Chung and the Sea Dragon King to sleep.
It felt so magical to be standing at the side of the stage in the dark, waiting to go on. Being in this ballet had been the most amazing experience of Rosa’s life – well, one of them, she thought with a smile. For Rosa had a magical secret – the red ballet shoes she was wearing could whisk her away to Enchantia, a land where the characters from all the different ballets lived. The shoes took Rosa to Enchantia whenever there was a problem there that needed solving.
Rosa thought about her best friend in Enchantia – Nutmeg, the fairy of the spices. If only Nutmeg could be there that night to watch her dance in Shim Chung for the last time.
The last time. The words echoed in Rosa’s head, and she felt a wave of sadness sweep over her as she realised that tomorrow night she would just be at home as normal and the ballet would be over. She and Olivia had done three performances of it and this was their last.
“I wish this ballet could go on for ever,” she said, turning to Olivia. “I’m going to miss coming here each night.”
“I know. I’ll miss it too.” Olivia saw Rosa’s sadness and squeezed her hand. “But let’s not think about that now. If we do, we won’t enjoy tonight. We should make the most of it while we’re here.”
“I guess,” Rosa agreed, but the thought ran round and round in her head. No more getting ready in the dressing rooms, no more putting on her green and blue mermaid dress, no more watching the adult dancers chatting