A Mother/Daughter Memory

One of my fondest memories as a child is the day I traveled to London with my mother to see Swan Lake performed by The Royal Ballet. It was a special mother/daughter trip and was the first time I saw a real ballet. I was taking ballet and tap classes at the time and my mom thought it would give me inspiration.

To say that I was mesmerized by the performance is putting it mildly. I was spellbound and eagerly took in everything around me. I was enthralled by all the ballerinas and watched their feathery costumes as the dancers seemed to float in the air. And although I cannot remember every single detail of that day and night, I can still remember the music - how it moved me with joy one minute and to tears the next - how the costumes shimmered in the lights - how the audience buzzed with excitement - and how the applause at the end of the performance was deafening and seemed to last forever. It was a night that sparked a little girl's imagination and ignited a lifelong passion for the arts.


So, today, on the day that mark's the 170th birthday of Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovsky, I am thankful for that memory shared with my mom and grateful that I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to see The Royal Ballet perform one of the greatest ballets of all time.