On Christmas Eve, we took the bus to Leicester Square and walked to the London Coliseum on St Martins Lane for the 2:30pm show of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

None of us have ever been to the ballet before (Well, Dad says he has but we have yet to verify this!) and we were all a little worried and unsure of what to expect. We walked into the theatre, and were shown our seats by the ushers. Now, the outside of the building did not even give us any hint of what we were to find inside. The London Coliseum was absolutely beautiful.

From the details on the walls and ceilings, to the intricately carved statues- it was one of the most beautiful theatres I had ever been in.

We had been told by the ballet expert himself, aka Dad, that this wasn’t the greatest performances in order to see technical and beautiful ballet (Swan Lake was much better for that) but that The Nutcracker was very traditionally Christmas. As I mentioned, I have never been to the ballet before but that did not stop me from being in awe the entire performance. I sat on the edge of my seat trying to absorb every detail on stage and found myself appreciating every move and step they each took. In particular, the prima ballerina had me gobsmacked. She was absolutely flawless, and moved without a sound. I truly understood the meaning of poise and grace; she emulated it.

I am not even going to mention the beautiful sets, props and outfits because to me, that was a total bonus. I could have watched them all dance in plain leotards all afternoon. One thing I must mention though is the music. Classics such as the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers, perfectly complementing the stunning performances.

We all walked out (I say walked, I personally was attempting to pirouette and prance) impressed and surprised that we had all enjoyed it as much as we did.

As someone who was kicked out of ballet at the tender age of 3 and has two left feet, I walked out feeling so graceful and beautiful by association.

I would recommend that everyone go and see The Nutcracker, or any ballet, at least once in your life. I can’t quite put into words how much I enjoyed it.

Until next time x