Life is certainly very quiet just now, so quiet in fact, that it's a bit of a struggle to think what to say to you. My daily schedule is very different from what it was until last December. Then I was working from 9:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night (and later still, of course, if I had a show!) So it's a good thing I'm still going to class, although I can't do as much as I could earlier in my pregnancy. I only really do barre exercises and a little centre work, but it's essential to keep myself supple. I also do a few body conditioning classes. Another good reason for going to class is that I can keep in touch with my colleagues at The Opera House and find out what's happening. (Leanne Benjamin has just got engaged! Great news!) Not dancing means that my weekends are free. Angus (my husband) and I have been making the most of these by having breaks away.
I was really pleased to be asked to help coach the finalists in the 2001 Young Dancer of The Year competition. This took place in the Linbury Studio Theatre where Jonathan Cope and I spent an afternoon giving tips to all 16 of the finalists. I worked with the eight girls and Jonathan with the boys. We were both involved last year but as all the finalists this year had two solos instead of one, it actually meant quite a long day. We didn't finish until 6:30, which was a bit of a shock as I've got used to leaving a lot earlier. (And I'd been demonstrating the steps!) The standard of the dancing was high and it is great to see so much young talent. When I was that age, I'm sure I'd never have been able to perform so well.
I hope you enjoyed the April Fool's Spoof that we posted on the site. To say I was amazed with the result would be an understatement (must have been a distinct lack of news that week) with both the BBC and Ananova picking it up and posting it on their web sites. It also made a couple of daily newspapers (3 days later) and even fooled a few people at the Royal Opera House. The photo used was taken a few years ago from a shoot at Brands Hatch for GQ Magazine. By the way, the photo on this page is from the Gold Virtuosi 2000 International Jewellery Design Awards (Photos by John Swannell, styled by Hilary Alexander with hair and make-up by Jonathon Malone.)
And talking of photo shoots, I was involved in a shoot for next season's promotional posters for the Royal Ballet. This was definitely a challenge for the photographer: how to make a dancer in her sixth month of pregnancy look thin. Fortunately, he managed very well, so look out for those posters! I'll be doing another photo shoot (also an interview) with Hello! Magazine at some point during the summer and I hope you'll look out for that also.
I hope you enjoyed 'Dancing with Darcey', the new section we added to the site in February. (You can find it in About Darcey). This month there's a second interview for you to read. I sent off the site's Webmistress (I get all the hard jobs eh - The Webmistress) to interview Jonathan Cope. Jonathan was, of course, my original partner in The Prince of the Pagodas, so we have known each other quite a while!
I would like to thank everyone who has sent cards, letters and gifts to me at the Opera House; I really appreciate your support! Sorry for the delay in replying to some of them - I am slowly working my way through the pile, so if you haven't heard from me yet, you will soon! Thanks also for the comments regarding this site.
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. Please come back again to see what I have been up to.
Enjoy your dance!!
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