BALLET4LIFER OF THE MONTH

MARCH 2021

Ah, Spring is nearly here in London and with this change in season and light comes a renewed hope and inspiration! We can hardly believe that March is upon us already and this means we get to unveil this month's Ballet4Life feature! Rosie Shotts is the star dancer this month and her story is so wonderful, nostalgic, and moving.
Thanks to Rosie for sharing this and for finding Ballet4Life. Your warm smile and open- minded approach always brings us joy.

Take it away...................Rosie!

At the age of 3 years I was taken to a weekly ballet class at a local church hall, I have strong memories of loving it, we pointed toes holding onto the backs of chairs, danced about pretending to be fairies and at the end would queue to curtsy to the lovely Mrs Jamieson but sadly after a year she lost the use of the hall so that was the sum of my childhood ballet tuition.

 

Rosie doing the Twist at age 4!

The first ballet I saw was The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, I was fortunate to go with a friend when we were 10 or 11, we were allowed to go on our own on the tube but were collected by parents, we both wore our best dresses and I remember being totally enraptured by it. I still have the programme which contains a cast amendment slip making apologies that the main parts would not be danced by Merle Park and Anthony Dowell but by Antoinette Sibley and Rudolf Nureyev!!

Dance, however, has always been a big part of my life, my wonderful Mum always loved to dance and would put on music and we would dance about together at home, when she reached 90 and developed Alzheimer’s this was something we revived and I have very special memories of dancing around the living room with her.

She definitely gave me a love of dance, she was adopted by the matron of a children’s home, she had an idyllic childhood, a dance teacher would come to the home every week to teach all the children.  A long story but many years later she found her real aunt, 2 brothers and her sister, her aunt loved to dance as did one of her brothers so it was definitely in their genes, my darling father, however, had 2 left legs and feet that turned inwards, I blame him for my total lack of any turnout!

Rosie's lovely Mum dancing in the garden 

I have to confess much to my husband’s bemusement I still dance about every Sunday to Elaine Page’s Songs from The Musicals radio show!’

Rosie doing a  Children in Need Tapathon Fundraiser 

Long before I came to Ballet4life I had found that you ran classes for people with Alzheimer’s/Dementia/Parkinson's and movement disorders, I would have loved to bring my Mum as she would have really enjoyed it but unfortunately I worked on the day the class ran. Dancing and music is such a wonderful way of bringing joy and happy memories and so good for the body, I am in awe of the work you do. It’s something very special.

Dancing caused me the odd mishap, in my 30’s I joined a friend who lived in Norway at a chalet with a bunch of friends, in the evenings we played music and danced about, whilst springing on my toes and obviously not landing as I should my right Achilles completely ruptured, I am so grateful that I had a good treatment and have been able to dance again.

I have always belonged to a gym but was not one to go to classes, they started a ballet fit class, it took me several weeks to pluck up courage to go but it was taken by an ex English National Ballet dancer, she did a proper barre, centre and then we followed her diagonally across the studio doing various steps it probably looked like Chinese whispers as what she did became something very different along the line but I absolutely loved it and wanted to learn more. There began my ballet journey somewhat late in life.

I initially joined a small local studio then about 2 years ago lovely Alice, my neighbour, suggested I try Ballet4life. I am always nervous going somewhere new and afraid of making a fool of myself but I was made so welcome and your amazing teachers are always encouraging.

Rosie with her friend and neighbour Alice.

The studios are huge which is wonderful and everyone is so friendly and lovely. It is hugely uplifting and I always left classes on a high.

Since COVID-19 the classes online are a real highlight, I have to confess I sometimes actually feel less inhibited in my own home, initially it was tricky as we had carpet and the only way I could attempt a pirouette was in an old pair of bedroom slippers! Now we have a wood floor and it’s much better even if my pirouettes are not!

Its brilliant that there are so many classes, I would do more if I didn’t still work.

 

After I left school I went to drama school but after realising that a life of job uncertainty was not for me went on to study dentistry and then medicine, after various hospital jobs in many fields I was able to combine the 2 as a partner in a GP practice in Buckinghamshire and also working in the head and neck cancer unit at Guys Hospital. I am now partly retired and just do a few days in the GP practice, it has certainly been a strange time there but vaccinating our patients over the last month or so is definitely something that has lifted our spirits.

I am so looking forward to when we can all be in the studio together again and so grateful for Ballet4life, I just love the music and the chance to dance, it is something very special and magical even if I don’t get it right.

Rosie in a Ballet4Life class with the esteemed dance artist / teacher Brian Bertscher.

Hoping everyone at Ballet4life stays well and safe and thank you for making me feel so welcome.