Hello my frosted snowflakes I’m so pleased to share with you some magical moments from my most recent trip to London. I love travelling during this time of year and exploring all the different dreamy wintry displays.
One of my favourite activities was exploring the Burlington Arcade and picking up a hot chocolate from Ladurée. We then headed to do some shopping at Dior, which had the most elegant, golden display for Christmas.
After shopping, I wandered over to Ladurée in Covent Garden and met my darling friend Naje.
We had the most dreamiest, Marie Antoinette tea-party, and sampled Ladurée’s Raspberry and Rose Saint Honoré with their classic Marie Antoinette.
I truly adore the Saint Honoré dessert, consisting of… creamy choux dipped in pink icing, on a crunchy puff pastry layer, decorated with a delicious cream, fresh raspberries and rose petals.
After Ladurée it was time for a magical evening at the Royal Opera House. I have been longing to see The Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker, ever since I was a little girl.
The sparkling, incandescent of the Waltz of the Snowflakes, the enchanting swirl as Clara dances with the Nutcracker and the most captivating Christmas tree unfurl before the audience to reveal the most magical performance of the season…
One of my Christmas traditions is watching the Nutcracker and I was delighted to finally watch the Royal Ballet’s production of this beloved ballet at the Royal Opera House this December. Sir Peter Wright, the Royal Ballet’s beloved choreographer (who turned 95 this year!) showcased his production of the ballet in 1984. With Julia Trevelyan Oman’s enchanting designs. Wright’s Nutcracker is a memorable piece within the Christmas calendar.
Created in 1892 as a two-act piece and originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, the ballet is adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816)
Wright’s ballet follows the journey of Clara, a young girl who attends a party on Christmas Eve hosted by her parents. One of the party’s most anticipated guests is Clara’s uncle – Herr Drosselymeyer, (performed by Gary Avis) who brings so much joy and emotive presence to the character. This is especially important as Drosselymeyer is truly at the heart of the ballet’s magic. Drosselmeyer has a propensity for magical tricks and enjoys entertaining the children with puppet shows and all kinds of mischief. One of his gifts, a Nutcracker doll, attracts the attention of Clara (danced by Ashely Dean.) Dean performs her very own pas de deux with her new doll and she expresses the childlike innocence required of Clara with delicate precision. Late in the evening, when the party comes to its end, Clara drifts off to sleep, dreaming of her brief waltz with her beloved Nutcracker. As the clock strikes midnight, an array of curiosities occur. Drosselmeyer re emerges out of the shadows and the enchantment of the night begins…
The tree and the sounds of the orchestra grow in harmony as the Christmas tree expands in size. Soon, we are transported into a battle with the Mouse King. It is up to Clara’s Nutcracker who has now transformed into a young man (performed by Leo Dixon) to defeat the Mouse. Once overthrown, Clara and her Nutcracker share a beautiful pas de deux. Then enters the enchanting Waltz of the Snowflakes
A beautiful ensemble displayed by the corps de ballet. A flurry of sparkling tutu’s chime with Tchaikovsky’s score. The pure delight of the corps, with their light footwork and speedy grand jete’s is truly wonderful!
Following the First Act, we are then whisked away on a sleigh to the Land of Sweets (my favourite part of the ballet.) The stage is set in a whimsical kingdom, sparkling with glitter. We witness the much-anticipated entrance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. Due to COVID guidelines and the increase of the Omni variant, the original partnership of Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell was replaced by Marianela Nunez and Reece Clarke. It was a delightful surprise as both Marianela and Reece are beautiful, emotive dancers.
Once they made their entrance, we were treated to a fantastic ensemble of performances from sweets all around the world. Chocolate from Spain, coffee from Arabia, tea from China, candy-cane’s from Russia. My favourite performances were the Dance of the Mirlitons and of course, the Waltz of the Flowers. The orchestral accompaniment for Flowers is a true delight and the corps de ballet shone in their elegant floral tutu’s; which glimmered with thousands of delicately sewn Swarovski crystals.
To conclude this whimsical display was the much anticipated entrance of the Sugar Plum Fairy her Prince for their beautiful pas de deux. Marianela and Reece form the perfect partnership. Each movement was delicately executed, with refined pirouettes and dramatic lifts. As the orchestra builds up into its crescendo (conducted by the wonderful Barry Wordsworth), it is difficult to resist being moved by this display of artistry and technique.
Following the pas de deux, we see the Prince’s solo. Clarke’s light and effortless tourne en l’air and jetes were delightful to behold and as a First Soloist, I wouldn’t be surprised to see his promotion to Principal in the coming years.
The moment which every audience member is eager to see… The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. This variation is so iconic – it has become the pinnacle of classical ballet itself. As a delicate, ethereal creature, costumed in a pastel coloured tutu, Marianela begins her performance with light, frothy steps. Despite appearing effortless, this is one of the most challenging solo’s in the repertoire. However, Nunez does not allow this to show. Nunez has a sense of ease expressed in her movements which never appears premeditated. The steps flow from each limb gracefully and allow the audience to feel as though they have been transported to this fairytale realm.
To complete this virutoistic ensemble, we finish with the Sugar Plum and Prince’s Coda. This is a pure display of artistic talents at their height. From Clarke’s princely leaps to Nunez’s fouettes, this final display of technique always leaves the audience in rapturous applause.
Soon the wonderment of the Kingdom of Sweets dissolves back into the snowy scene of Act I. On a deserted street, near Clara’s home she wanders bewildered over whether the enchantment of the evening was merely a dream…
Clara stumbles upon a young gentleman clothed in a soldier’s uniform, asking for directions. Clara provides them and senses a connection. As he wanders away, in search of the address Clara has a moment of realisation. Touching the necklace which the Sugar Plum Fairy gave her – Clara remembers everything.
We return to Drosselymeyer’s workshop. He sits, pensively – awaiting some occurrence. After a knock on the door, he is greeted by his nephew, Hans Peter. Together once more, Drosselymeyer and Peter embrace in a beautiful moment of reunion.
On our second day, we wandered over to the Natural History Museum to bask in the splendour of their beautiful ice-rink! Ice-skating is something I truly adore. I love gliding on the ice in my white boots and last time I had the chance to do this was in 2020! Myself and Naje had a lovely time skating round as Christmas music played and of course they had a beautiful tree displayed in the centre of the rink which always adds a little bit of magic.
After a morning of skating, we made our way towards the Peggy Porschen parlour on the King’s Road. This year they had the dreamiest and most whimsical Nutcracker themed display, with adorable pink Nutcrackers, a beautiful large canvas depicting delicate ballerina’s performing in Swan Lake, and of course lots of glitter!
Inside the parlour, each glossy cabinet was filled to the brim with delectable treats.. from gingerbread and sugar plum cupcakes to elegant tiered cakes, elegant wreaths were abundant in each corner and of course, the decor would be incomplete without a spectacular Christmas tree.
This beautiful tree was adorned with an enchanting array of ballerina themed decorations which were wonderful to see! Once seated, myself and Naje decided to order their Sugar Plum cupcake which was truly the best Peggy’s cake we have tried!! Naje had a dreamy chai latte and I had a luxurious gingerbread latte – truly delightful!
After our treats at Peggy’s we went for shopping in Harrods and then to the V&A to see the RAD’s new ballet exhibition.
The On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100, centres around the Royal Academy of Dance’s centenary. The exhibit features an array of whimsical costumes, posters, photographs and film footage which is perfect for any ballet fan! Many of the objects are related to ballet icons such as Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn and Anna Pavlova! I particularly loved seeing Margot Fonteyn’s original Les Sylphides costume from 1960 and Darcey Bussell’s costume from Kenneth MacMillan’s The Prince of the Pagodas and the pointe shoes from her farewell performance in The Song of the Earth.
I truly hope you had a wonderful Christmas season and I’m sending so much love to you all!
