THE first time I tried on pointe shoes when I was a little girl, it felt like a dream I remember that moment so clearly,' reveals junior soloist Ivana Bueno, one of the dancers who will play the lead role of Clara in the English National Ballet's (ENB) production of The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum this year. 'I think I was about 10 years old. The older ballerinas had blisters on their feet; and, after wearing mine for the first time, I can remember excitedly checking my toes to see if I had any blisters, too.'
Sitting in a bright boardroom in between rehearsals at the Mulryan Centre for Dance, the state-of-the-art headquarters of the ENB in London City Island, Miss Bueno gestures to her pointe shoes as she outlines their importance: 'To go on pointe, you're using all the muscles between your metatarsal bones in the foot, every tendon is activated-you need a lot of strength in your feet and ankles. We're always looking for ways to improve our shoes, even if it's the tiniest of changes-just a millimetre can make a difference. But, honestly, I'm not sure we'll ever be satisfied.
For an audience member, watching a ballerina dancing on pointe is a magical experience of awe and wonder as she leaps, lands, twists and turns across the stage, appearing lighter than air. For a dancer, creating this illusion is a physically gruelling feat that requires tremendous strength and discipline and takes years of practice, training, experience and skill. Pointe shoes may look like beautiful, dainty slippers, but, make no mistake, these are the tools of an athlete.
Denne historien er fra December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
