To the peacock theatre last week alongside patient boyfriend and Laura whitmore to watch hotly anticipated Cuban dance import, ballet revolucion. My graphic layered silk dress and fur stolle were perhaps a subconscious nod to London’s grey water glazed skies; a poetic ensemble to match my swan lake mindset. With a simple chain necklace and diamond studs, I was ready for an eye watering array of pirouettes and a sugar Plum fairy orchestra to boot.

What we actually got was a heart racing contemporary mash up that felt quite like watching an aerobics class or being in a nightclub somewhere in France. An ADHD soundtrack of cheesy pop music ( though a superb back lit band) including shakira, madonna and Enrique ingleasis pumped through the speakers, upon hearing the latter of the three and watching one of the 4 female dancers locked in another curious, emotionless entaglement with one of the 15 strong male dancers,( more male than female dancers was also just slightly weird) I was desperatly trying to surpress giggles. I mean it just felt so silly! The sort of dance i would have done with a friend at school, all superlated romantic cheek brushes then filmed for fun. You see, for whilst this is an enjoyable evening out, a night at the ballet it is not. Stripped of its traditional narrative, the ballet revolucion depends on the music to give the scenes a story.
Now I’m not sure if you have ever been to a theatre and watched someone who is not rihanna dancing ballet to rihanna but It felt a) uncomfortable partly because if you’re going to play rihanna then I want to dance too and b) just so damn incongruous! Ok I can hear you saying just appreciate the dancing Gosh! Well yes i definitely would hav in perhaps a different setting, somewhere thats drenched in Cuban atmosphere, where you can have cocktails and chat with friends and get your groove on yourself! That of course is my humble opinion I shall have to catch up with Laura and see what she thinks. Either way Mr Christian Louboutin was also there red soles tapping away, about time we saw those soles in a ballet… Or he should stage his own over fashion week. (below the Russian ballet archive image)
