Let’s ensure we open the door to ballet for all

Bringing children to top-class ballet fosters an appreciation that endures into adulthood, writes Colette Keane

I WAS 12 when I saw my first ballet. It was a school tour and most of us viewed it as a chance to get out of lessons for a few hours. But as the music struck up and the ballerinas brought the story of a princess cursed to become a swan to life, I was hooked. The grace, beauty and strength of the dancers remained with me, and Tchaikovsky’s score was indelibly imprinted on my pre-teen brain.

Haven taken just one ballet lesson in my life — where, with one cutting glance, the teacher told me I would never have the makings of a ballerina — it is unlikely I would ever have seen a live ballet performance. Without that school tour, it is unlikely I would ever have been touched by the magic of Swan Lake or by the need to ensure such ancient expressive art forms are supported.