Sleeping Beauty

I can well imagine hearing you say: what does Sleeping Beauty have to do with blossom remedies.
Well...basically nothing and basically everything.
This blog is not directly about remedies (I published the last one of the season) but I like to end with something cheerful. I have also had such a fine message. I will briefly describe the impetus behind this.

My start:
On the platform of Central Station, a woman stood for months from May 1945, waiting and hoping to see if one more family member would return by one of the trains from the camps. She was heavily pregnant. No one came back.
That woman was my mother...... and was pregnant with me.

From the age of three, I started going to ballet. Six years old, I was already doing performances on pointe (unthinkable now). When I was seventeen and almost finished my training, I could no longer walk because of severe back pain. I had been taught by Sonia Gaskell, Mascha ter Weeme and especially Florrie Rodrigo. So many doctors were visited, no one could find anything (yes, they had all sorts of suspicions) and all I was told was that I should never dance again. And gone was my big dream!
I didn't want to know anything more about ballet. And when even Nureyev came to the Netherlands, I didn't want to go and see it at first. I couldn't handle that. On the advice of some people, I went anyway and spent the whole performance crying.

Life went on. When I was forty-three, I heard that Barry Stevens was going to open a ballet school where you could do single, professional lessons. Eventually I had the courage to apply and ask if I too could do lessons. And I could. It took two years before I could look in the mirror, during lessons, into my own eyes. What emotions!
And from then until now (I train 4 times a week professionally), I have had the most amazing teachers/teachers.
I like to mention them. It started with Ineke Huissen, Karel Vandeweghe, Jane Lord, Martin Meng, Rinus Sprong and Thom Stuart of the Dutch Don't Dance Division, Iqbal Khawaja and Nicolas Rapaic. They have all taken me step by step further with my classical lessons, for which I am so grateful. The schools where I do these classes are Amsterdam Dance Centre, the Chassé Dance Studios and the Henny Juriëns foundation. And I have never had back problems again.

My big dream of becoming a ballerina had failed but I was already so happy to be able to dance again. And then came that wonderful moment when Jane Lord told me to apply to the National Ballet because she thought I could do extras roles. Took the bold shoes (not ballet shoes) and I applied. And was allowed, at my age, to join The National Ballet.
And yesterday I got the message that I could join Sleeping Beauty again for the whole month of December.

My dream has "turned" into my fairy tale, which has become a reality. To be back in the beautiful Music Theatre throughout December 2017 with all those wonderful dancers.

I can only say: Live life in all its facets, whatever it may be, beautiful things, sad things , painful things, fascinating things. If you can really "live it, you will grow and be happy". And how grateful I am for all the beauty that comes my way.
The blossom remedies have played a big part in this and have given me a lot of strength throughout my life.

This is what I wish for all of you.

And should you want to see this wonderful performance, just order tickets soon before it sells out.

Madeleine Meuwessen