A must see for adults and their young ones. This makes such a classical art form extremely child friendly

Waiting in the auditorium at the Peacock’s Theatre in London, the giggling and muffled excited whispers of children were cascading through the audience. It was so lovely to see such a young audience attending such a classical art form. 

Before Tchaikovsky’s famous and beautifully strong composition immersed us into the world of the magical Swan Lake, we were introduced to Shevelle Dynott, who would act as narrator throughout, giving the audience little pockets of wisdom about what was unfolding on stage in a timely and child friendly manner. 

He had the energy of a Children’s TV Presenter, but unfortunately, at times his delivery seemed somewhat under energised, as it felt like he didn’t know his purpose of being on stage. In my opinion, it would have been more effective if he left after every piece of narration instead of what happened on some occasions, where he would sit on the side of the stage. 

The dancers were a sight to behold. The dancer’s were a combination of some English National Ballet (ENB) Artists, ENB School Professional Trainees, and ENB School Second Year Students. This show is a testament to the years of hard work that goes into training to be a ballet dancer. Their strength, fluidity of movement and physical capacity for storytelling was mesmerising. A special mention must go to Chloe Kineally, who played the Swan. Her technique was flawless, and the passion with which she danced held the piece together and was a treat to the eye. 

The My First Ballet initiative at the ENB is an ambitious programme with the aim of making ballet accessible to young children from ages 3 plus. This starts with the programme, which has a copy of the story both in symbol form and in written form, allowing the children to read through and understand the plot before it unfolds in dance form before them. Their understanding is further aided with the addition of narration at specific points throughput. The run time in total is just under an hour and a half, making it very digestible for such young eyes. The costumes and set were tremendously beautiful, and added to the beauty already exuding from the dancers 

Overall, I think this production is a must see for adults with their young ones. It makes such a classical art form extremely child friendly, whilst not straying from the word class standard expected of an ENB production.