The Chronicle, Autumn 2018

31 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Insp The

Dame Darcey Bussell By Sixth Former Sybilla Hamilton

How do you reach the top of your game when it requires the stamina and strength of an Olympic athlete, but the composure and presentation of an actor? This was one of my thoughts as I sat down for the first of this year’s Inspiring People talks with renowned ballerina Darcey Bussell. I felt extremely lucky to hear first- hand about her life and inspirational story of success as she rose to the top of her game in classical ballet – recently extending her career by becoming a judge on Strictly Come Dancing and creating a new series of aerobic dance mixes, DDMIX. After a refreshingly down to earth description of her introduction to ballet, Darcey took us through the highs and lows of both dancing and success in general, answering our questions and giving an hilarious insight into dancing for photography, meeting her fellow Strictly judges, and what dancing she does now. Her answer, it seemed, to success, lay almost completely in the mind-set, encouraging us to “know what is expected of you” and always stay one step ahead of your opponents, which, for Darcey, meant practising for a few more hours a day – but

it was easy for all of us to apply her advice to our own lives. I loved the interaction with the audience but, most of all, I enjoyed her commentary as we watched clips from a huge range of her performances, which really took us behind the scenes. It was encouraging to hear the audience agree with Darcey’s strong view that dance should be a core part of our education system, and so I felt very fortunate to be sitting there as a member of Teddies with our wonderfully inclusive and successful Dance Department. What a wonderful evening the dance teachers and pupils spent listening to Darcey talk about her career. We could have listened to her reminiscing about her journey to becoming a principal ballet dancer for many more hours. She had focus and determination and admitted that, although it wasn’t always easy, she managed to excel in her art form even if this meant missing out on other things that we take for granted. Lisa Elkins, Head of Dance

Inspiring People at THe NoRTH WA

Dame Darcey at the Royal Academy of Dance, of which she is President.

‘Dame Darcey delighted the audience of pupils from Teddies and other local schools when she took to the stage of The North Wall as part of its Inspiring People series. The dancer, who became a Principal at the Royal Ballet aged 20, talked to former St Edward’s pupil George Fenton about determination, the physicality of dance and the highlights of her career.’ The Oxford Times

Dennis Victory, Dance Teacher; Lisa Elkins, Head of Dance; Dame Darcey Bussell; Sixth Former Selena Thompson; and Governor George Fenton OSE who interviewed Dame Darcey on stage.