Magic Ballerina 1-6

by Darcey Bussell

  1. Stand in first position resting your left hand on your barre. Make a gentle oval shape with your right arm.

  2. Raise your right arm and brush your right foot out behind you, keeping your toe against the ground. Imagine that you are using your toes to sweep the floor.

  3. Sweep your foot back to the centre and then brush it out to the side.

  4. Now slide your foot back to the centre again. Try switching sides to practise using your left leg.

  (P.S. If you don’t have an actual barre you could rest your hand on a wall or fence instead.)

  Prologue

  In the soft, pale light, the girl stood with her head bent and her hands held lightly in front of her. There was a moment’s silence and then the first notes of the music began. For as long as the girl could remember music had seemed to tell her of another world – a magical, exciting world – that lay far, far away. She always felt if she could just close her eyes and lose herself, then she would get there. Maybe this time. As the music swirled inside her, she swept her arms above her head, rose on to her toes and began to dance …

  Delphie ran up the stone steps of the ballet school, excitement bubbling through her. It would soon be time for her ballet class. As she reached the big wooden door, she thought back to a time six months ago when she had walked past the building every day, wishing she could have lessons there. It had been like a dream come true when the teacher, Madame Za-Za, had seen her watching from outside the school one afternoon and offered to teach her for free. Delphie had learned so much since then – and had so much fun. She had performed on stage and, even better than that, she had been to Enchantia!

  Delphie smiled to herself as she thought about the secret land. An old pair of red ballet shoes used magic to whisk her away there and whenever she went she ended up having an amazing adventure with her new friends.

  I wonder when I’ll go to Enchantia again, Delphie thought, shutting the door behind her and running down the corridor to the changing rooms. She always liked to get to class early so she could practise before any of her classmates arrived.

  As Delphie pushed back the door she saw a girl, just a bit younger than her, sitting on a bench in the changing rooms. She was pretty with big blue eyes and wavy blonde hair pulled back into a bun. Delphie’s heart sank. It was the new girl, Rosa.

  She had started at Madame Za-Za’s ballet school a week ago. Delphie had tried talking to her a few times but Rosa just ignored her or answered questions with a brief “yes” or “no”.

  As Delphie walked across the changing room, Rosa looked down, not saying anything.

  “Hi,” Delphie said, trying to be friendly but Rosa didn’t reply.

  Delphie started to take off her school uniform but it was strange getting changed in silence. Usually the girls all chatted together. “You’re here early,” she tried again.

  Rosa nodded but just continued tying the ribbons on her ballet shoes without speaking.

  There was a pause so Delphie tried again. “Did you dance a lot before you started classes here?”

  “A bit,” Rosa said briefly.

  At least it was a reply. Delphie felt encouraged. She usually got on with most people so she didn’t like feeling uncomfortable with Rosa. “You’re really good at petit jetés,” she said admiringly. “I was behind you in the last class. I wish I could do them as well as you.”

  Delphie thought Rosa wasn’t going to say anything in return but then the new girl took a deep breath. “Yes. I’ve always found them easy. You find them hard, don’t you? I noticed in class. I… ”

  Delphie was stung. “I don’t find them that difficult!”

  Rosa suddenly jumped up and hurried out of the room.

  Delphie stared after her crossly. The cheek of it! She’d been trying to be friendly! There’d been no need for Rosa to say she wasn’t good at something. Maybe she did find the small jumps springing from one foot to the other quite hard, but she could do lots of other dance steps OK. Rosa could have commented on those things instead!

  Feeling fed up, Delphie finished getting changed. Once she was dressed she tied her long dark hair back and headed out to the ballet studio.

  Rosa was in there practising a pas de chat. Delphie paused by the door. She loved the light sideways leap. You had to keep your knees out to the side, but Rosa was having problems and Delphie could immediately see why.

  She’s springing off her front foot, she thought. Part of Delphie wanted to go straight in and help Rosa but at the back of her mind a small voice was saying, Why should you? She’s really unfriendly.

  So Delphie decided not to help. The other dance studio was still empty; she’d go and warm up in there instead. As she turned away, she started in surprise. Madame Za-Za was watching her from the doorway of her office just down the corridor.

  “Madame Za-Za!” Delphie said.

  Madame Za-Za’s expression cleared. “Hello, Delphie,” she said, walking towards her. “How are you?”

  “Fine, thank you.” Delphie felt a bit embarrassed.

  “Are you going into warm-up with Rosa before class?” her teacher went on.

  Delphie’s cheeks reddened slightly. “I… I thought I might go in the other dance studio.”

  “Oh.” For a moment Madame Za-Za didn’t say anything but then she glanced at Delphie. “Everyone deserves a chance, Delphie,” she said quietly. “I would have thought you would have realised that.”

  Delphie stared. It was as if Madame Za-Za had read her mind, seen her thoughts about Rosa and not wanting to help her. “But… I… ”

  “I’ll see you in class in ten minutes,” Madame Za-Za said as she turned to go back to her office.

  Delphie walked slowly into the other dance studio, thinking about the look on Madame Za-Za’s face. Did she think Delphie was being horrible? She hated the thought that she had disappointed her dance teacher in some way, but she felt too awkward now to go in and talk to Rosa. Trying not to dwell on what had just happened, Delphie went to the barre, moved her feet into second position and began to slowly bend and straighten her knees.

  When her class finally started she kept watching Rosa. She knew her best friends, Poppy and Lola, thought the new girl was just shy.

  She’s not shy though, thought Delphie. She’s just unfriendly.

  But when Delphie went to bed that night she was still thinking about it and she couldn’t get the disappointed expression on Madame Za-Za’s face out of her mind. Maybe she should give Rosa more of a chance.

  I’ll see what she’s like tomorrow, Delphie decided.

  When Delphie arrived at the ballet school the next day, Rosa was already in the studio practising pas de chats, and she was still having problems. Delphie hesitated. What should she do?

  Suddenly her feet began to tingle. She looked down. Her red ballet shoes were glowing! She was about to go to Enchantia!

  A rainbow of swirling colours surrounded Delphie and swept her away. Round and round she spun, up in the air until she was set down on to firm ground and the colours faded.

  As Delphie looked around her she saw she was standing in front of a massive thicket of trees and thorny brambles. There were no houses or people. How strange. The shoes usually brought her to Enchantia when there was a problem to solve but she couldn’t see how she was needed this time.

  “Hello!” she called.

  No one answered so she began to walk into the trees. The thorns caught at her clothes and she tripped over tree roots on the ground. It was strangely quiet in the forest. No birds were singing and there were no animals to be seen.

  Delphie pushed on until she reached a wall of brambles so thick that there was no way through. She sank down on to a tree stump in frustration. What was she going to do now?

  Then, suddenly, there was a tinkling noise behind her. Delphie looked round and saw a beautiful ballerina appear in a shimmering haze. Dressed in a lilac tutu with a sparkling bodice, her brown hair was caught up in a diamond tiara. The ballerina’s arms were h
eld high above her head and she was carrying a wand in her right hand. The wings on her back were almost see-through and glinted with faint rainbow colours. But they weren’t pretend wings like on a costume, Delphie realised. They were real!

  “Delphie!” the fairy cried. “I’m so glad you’ve come!”

  “Hi. Who are you?” Delphie couldn’t help smiling at her.

  “I’m the Lilac Fairy from Sleeping Beauty. Lila for short,” the fairy answered. “I’m one of Princess Aurelia’s fairy godmothers. I’ve heard all about you from Aurelia and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Oh, Delphie, we’re in real trouble,” she cried. “The Royal Palace has been covered with thorns and is now hidden behind these brambles. Everyone in the palace is asleep including Aurelia. She’ll only wake up when a prince – her one true love – kisses her.”

  “Of course,” Delphie breathed, remembering the story of Sleeping Beauty.

  Lila went on. “At Aurelia’s christening, the King and Queen forgot to invite the Wicked Fairy, but she came anyway and put a curse on Princess Aurelia that meant that on her eighteenth birthday she would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and sleep for a hundred years.” Lila shuddered. “I wasn’t able to stop the curse completely but my magic was able to change it so that if Aurelia did prick her finger she would still fall asleep but would wake when her prince kissed her. And now that day has happened and it’s all King Rat’s fault!”

  “King Rat!” Delphie exclaimed. She should have known. King Rat was horrible. He hated dancing and was always trying to stop everyone from having fun. Every time she had been in Enchantia she’d had to sort out problems caused by his mischief making. She shuddered as she thought of his gleaming red eyes, his black greasy fur and haughty expression.

  “Yes, King Rat!” said Lila. “After the christening King Tristan ordered all of the spinning wheels to be destroyed. Everyone did as he asked because no one wanted Aurelia to hurt herself. The only person who refused was King Rat. Because he can do such strong magic no one could get his spinning wheel off him. Yesterday, on Aurelia’s birthday, a present arrived. Here, let me use my magic to show you what happened… ”

  Lila waved her wand and touched the ground. A lilac mist appeared and in the centre of it Delphie could see a picture. Princess Aurelia was in the garden of the palace, wearing a beautiful pink dress. She was dancing lightly and joyfully, turning pirouette after pirouette, her brown hair flying out behind her. The King and Queen were smiling fondly and there were lots of other guests, courtiers and servants around too.

  Delphie’s great friend Sugar was standing to the side watching the princess with a large smile on her face. There was also a large pile of brightly wrapped presents on a table. Princess Aurelia started to unwrap a large present and a spinning wheel with a sharp metal spindle and a rat engraved on the handle was revealed. Looking surprised and curious, Princess Aurelia bent down to look at it more closely. Delphie saw King Tristan shout and Queen Isabella rush forward with Sugar, but it was too late. Princess Aurelia had already pricked her finger. She cried out and spun round before falling on the floor fast asleep!

  Delphie caught her breath as she saw everyone gather around the princess. Queen Isabella began to cry and King Tristan lifted Aurelia’s sleeping body up.

  “That’s awful!” cried Delphie. “I can’t believe King Rat could be so horrible!”

  Lila nodded and touched the picture with her slender wand, so that it vanished.

  “I did the only thing I could think of and sent everyone else in the castle to sleep too until Aurelia’s prince comes and wakes her – if he ever does.” She bit her lip. “He seems to have disappeared!”

  “Disappeared?” Delphie echoed.

  Lila nodded. “He’s not at his palace. So then I went to King Rat’s castle to see if he knew anything about it but it’s all locked up.”

  ‘That’s strange,” said Delphie. She frowned. Where could the prince have gone? This really was a mystery. There is only one thing to do, she decided. “We should go back to King Rat’s castle and see if we can find any clues,” she said aloud. “At least if it’s deserted we don’t have to worry about bumping into him.”

  “OK then!” said Lila eagerly. She took Delphie’s hands. “Come on! Let’s go!”

  Lila spun Delphie round. They twirled through the air in a cloud of silver sparkles and landed in the woods just outside King Rat’s castle. The castle was built of dark stone and loomed up menacingly against the blue sky. Delphie shivered. She had been here many times before but that didn’t make it any less scary.

  “I’m afraid my magic can’t take us any closer,” said Lila apologetically. “It’s not strong enough.”

  Delphie nodded. She knew from her past adventures that King Rat could do very powerful magic and that he could use it to stop people getting into his castle. The Sugar Plum Fairy couldn’t get into King Rat’s castle either.

  “It really does look deserted,” she said. The windows were covered with shutters and there was no sign of King Rat’s mouse guards anywhere. “Let’s go and explore!”

  Cautiously, they set off across the grass. As they got closer to the castle, Delphie felt anxious. What if this was just a trick? She half expected King Rat’s mice guards to come pouring out of the castle. But there really did seem to be no one around.

  As they reached the castle walls, she heard a faint voice. “Help! Help me!”

  She looked at Lila in alarm. “Someone’s in trouble!”

  The calls were coming from the back of the castle.

  Lila grabbed Delphie’s hand. “We’d better go and see what’s happening.”

  Quickly they made their way around the castle.

  “Help!” The voice came again.

  Delphie looked up at the nearby tower and gasped. A long rat’s tail was hanging from one of the upstairs windows. King Rat!

  King Rat’s golden crown was wonky and covered with cobwebs and his purple cloak looked dusty. “You!” he exclaimed, seeing Delphie.

  For a moment they both gaped at each other.

  Delphie couldn’t believe it. King Rat locked up in his own castle! What was going on?

  King Rat broke the silence. “Well, are you just going to stand there, girl?” he said crossly. “I’ve been sitting here for days and no one’s come. What are you waiting for? Get me out!”

  “Maybe it’s a trap,” Delphie whispered to Lila.

  “Come on! Start rescuing me – now, now, NOW!” shouted King Rat.

  Delphie frowned. “You don’t deserve rescuing after what you did to Aurelia!”

  “Me?” King Rat exclaimed indignantly. “That was nothing to do with me!”

  “I don’t believe you,” Delphie said, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Me neither!” said Lila.

  “But it wasn’t,” King Rat insisted. “Look, get me down from here and I’ll tell you the whole story.”

  But Delphie didn’t trust him at all. “No. Tell us the story and then maybe we’ll rescue you.”

  King Rat sighed. “OK. OK. Well, it really wasn’t me. It was that Wicked Fairy. She came here wanting my spinning wheel but I said no. I’ve never liked her – she’s got two cousins of mine attached to her carriage as her prisoners. They have to pull her wherever she wants to go. So I said, I wasn’t going to help her and what did she go and do? She used her magic on me!” He looked really indignant. “In my own castle!”

  “You’re lying!” said Delphie triumphantly. “I knew it. No one can use magic on you in your castle. This is just a trick!”

  “Oh, the Wicked Fairy can use magic all right,” King Rat replied. “She’s not one of these wimpy, goody-goody fairies with their sticking out tutus and silly ballet shoes.” He glanced at Lila. “With that black wand of hers, the Wicked Fairy’s magic is as strong as mine… ”

  “He’s right,” Lila told Delphie. “The Wicked Fairy can do lots more magic than me and Sugar.”

  “Anyway, as I said, before I knew it I
was shut in this tower,” King Rat continued. “She whisked my mouse guards away to the other side of Enchantia, took the spinning wheel and put a spell on all the doors in the castle to lock them tight. So now I’m trapped.” He looked at Delphie. “But… if you rescue me I’ll help you.”

  “Why would we need your help?” Delphie said, crossing her arms.

  “Well, how are you going to find the right prince otherwise? The one that can unlock the spell?” King Rat said, flicking his whiskers rather grandly. “I know what’s happened to him and where to look for him.”

  “The prince?” asked Delphie. “Aurelia’s true love.”

  “The very one,” King Rat said smugly as he preened himself.

  “So, where is he?” asked Delphie.

  “Aha,” said King Rat. “That would be telling. But help me escape and I will tell you.”

  Lila turned to Delphie. “My magic isn’t strong enough to fight the Wicked Fairy if she really is behind all this. We’d need his help. I think we should set him free.”

  Delphie looked at King Rat. He’d been the cause of so much mischief in the past. “But what if it’s a trick?”

  “A trick?” King Rat exploded. “Do you think I like it up here, girl? Do you think I like having nothing to eat but cobwebs and no one to shout at – well, apart from you?”

  Delphie hesitated. She wanted to believe him – wanted to believe that it hadn’t been him causing trouble this time. Suddenly she heard Madame Za-Za’s voice in her head: Everyone deserves a chance.

  She made up her mind.

  “All right, we’ll rescue you,” she declared.

  King Rat punched the air. “Yes!”

  “But you have to give us your word that you will help us in return,” Delphie added quickly.