It's the end of an era. This week, Darcey Bussell hangs up her pointe shoes for good. One of the THE ballerina's of her age, she's done what Tony Blair should have gone ages ago and retired at the top of her game with the public wanting more. A mother of 2 and now ages 38, it's unsurprising that she's calling it a day even though, by all accounts, she is at the peak of her powers and dancing supremely well.
This somehow misses the point. Ballet is all about the art of the impossible. It's about defying gravity (in most cases) and about making the most strenuous, difficult movements look impossibly easy and graceful. But the effort that goes into this feat of deception that is a performance is enormous. I gave up at the age of about 14 even though I still love watching it - and even though I am growing middle aged and binty, if there was a ballet class for binties like me nearby I would definitely join. I cannot imagine what it must take to carry on doing this torture until you are nearly 40. And I think that our Darcey's longevity probably has had a lot to do with the improvements in sports science and the care of the body - and the dancing public owes them a huge debt of gratitude.
I hope that Ms Bussell enjoys a happy life post ballet. She's given countless people a lot of pleasure and probably inspired a whole generation of girls to give it a go. I'll be watching her farewell performances this week, just wanting to see her defy gravity and her ageing body once more.
Thanks, Darcey and have a great life.
