Darcey Bussell’s World of Magic Ballerina. Darcey Bussell
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Название: Darcey Bussell’s World of Magic Ballerina
Автор: Darcey Bussell
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Книги для детей: прочее
isbn: 9780007500086
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“Do you like them?” Madame Za-Za asked.
“Oh yes,” Delphie breathed. The ballet shoes might be old but they were beautiful. “Would you like to borrow them, child?” Madame Za-Za asked gently.
“Borrow them!” Delphie stared in surprise. “But why would you lend them to me? I don’t even come here to classes.”
“If you like you can come back tomorrow and join in with the class you were watching,” Madame Za-Za said.
Delphie could hardly believe her ears.
“But… but… well, I’d love to but Mum and Dad can’t afford for me to have lessons.” She blushed as she admitted the truth.
Madame Za-Za waved her hand dismissively. “Money does not matter. Just come tomorrow as I ask.” Her eyes met Delphie’s. “I will teach you for free.”
Delphie’s mind spun.
“Go home now and tell your parents what I have said. They may ring me if they have any questions.” Madame Za-Za gave her the box with the ballet shoes and then turned and took a brand-new pink leotard and socks out of the chest near the door. “Bring these clothes and the shoes to wear tomorrow.”
Delphie looked down at the box in her arms. “What if the shoes don’t fit me?”
Madame Za-Za gave a mysterious smile. “Oh, I don’t think there will be a problem with that. I think you will find them the perfect size. They have been waiting for the right person to come along and something tells me you might be that person.”
Her eyes stared deep into Delphie’s. “They are very special shoes, Delphie. I hope one day you find out just how special they are.” Suddenly her tone became brisker. “Now, I must return to class. I will see you tomorrow, ready and changed for half past four sharp.”
“Thank you!” Delphie gasped.
Almost before she knew it, she was following Madame Za-Za back down the corridor and then she was back outside in the snow again. But Delphie didn’t feel cold. Excitement raced through her as she hugged the shoes to her chest. She rushed home to tell her Mum. She was going to start ballet classes tomorrow. She couldn’t wait!
Delphie could hardly concentrate in school at all the next day. All she could think about was her first ballet lesson. She was at Madame Za-Za’s school by four o’clock and had changed twenty minutes before the class was due to start.
As Delphie tied her long hair back into a bun, she looked at herself in the mirror and couldn’t stop grinning. She looked just like the girls she had been watching the day before. Well, apart from the fact that her shoes were red instead of pale pink but Delphie didn’t care about that. They were beautifully soft and they fitted her perfectly, just as Madame Za-Za had said they would.
Other girls started to arrive. The two who Delphie had seen running into the ballet school the day before were the first to get there. “Who are you?” one of them asked curiously.
“I’m Delphie,” Delphie replied.
“Are you just starting lessons here?” the other girl asked.
Delphie nodded.
“Well, I’m Poppy,” the first girl said. “And this is Lola.”
“Hiya Delphie,” Lola smiled.
Other girls started to pile in. They were just as friendly and at half past four they all went into the dance studio where Madame Za-Za was waiting for them.
They began with pliés at the barre. Delphie concentrated hard, trying to remember everything she had read in her books.
As she followed Madame Za-Za’s instructions, she felt herself relax and soon it was just as if she was practising in her bedroom at home but a hundred times better because she was in a real ballet class.
Madame Za-Za kept telling them all to keep their heads up and to smile but Delphie didn’t find that difficult at all.
The girls moved from the barre to working in the centre of the room. They went through the same exercises again and then practised arm movements, different poses and turns called pirouettes.
As they neared the end of the class, Madame Za-Za explained to Delphie that the class had been learning a dance from a ballet called The Nutcracker.
Delphie had read about The Nutcracker – a girl called Clara was given a nutcracker who looked like a soldier as a Christmas present by her uncle. Clara loved her new toy so much that she crept downstairs when everyone was in bed and danced with him before falling asleep.
“I think you had better just watch this bit of the class, Delphie,” Madame Za-Za said to her. “The others have been learning the dance for a while now.”
Delphie sat, feeling nervous, as the other eight girls took it in turns to hold a wooden doll which looked like a toy soldier and dance Clara’s dance. The dark-haired girl, who Delphie had found out was called Sukie, was the last to go. She moved very gracefully and didn’t wobble on any of the positions she held. Her turns were easy and smooth and her arms and head always seemed to be held perfectly in position. But even so there was something that wasn’t quite right. What is it? Delphie wondered.
Madame Za-Za was watching from near the piano. As Sukie finished and smiled, Madame Za-Za walked forward, shaking her head. “No, Sukie, Your hands, your arms, your placing were all good, but you are supposed to love the doll you are holding. I did not believe that when I watched you.”
Delphie realised she knew exactly what Madame Za-Za meant. Although Sukie’s dancing had looked wonderful, she hadn’t made Delphie feel like she was really watching Clara.
Madame Za-Za turned to all the girls. “Ballet is about much more than just dancing – the real magic comes from telling a story and making the audience believe in that story.” Her eyes looked straight into Delphie’s. “Never forget that – always believe in it.”
Delphie felt a longing to do the dance herself. She wanted to be up there, wanted Madame Za-Za to be watching her, but it was too late – it was the end of the class.
As soon as she had got changed, Delphie ran all the way home. She couldn’t wait to tell her parents about it. This had been the best day of her life!