Capable Child

If you enjoy contemporary dance with an ethnic twist, Same Same but Different is a great family show. It has been created with a number of primary schools in Birmingham and mixes colour, dance and story together.  The show began with the three performers inside large pieces of colourful material. Children watching had their imaginations captured as we watched the dancers move into different shapes and configurations. When the performers eventually popped out they were surprised to find the audience watching. They greeted us with waves and high fives which immediately drew the audience into the performance. Highlights of the performance were the acrobatic movements performed by the dancers Aakanksha, Laura and Mickael. As they tumbled and twisted to the music the audience was left to interpret what they were showing with these movements as they explored the times when we feel different and the times that we belong. The title of the show ‘Same Same but Different’ may b...

Photo Credit Bella Kotak Anticipation was building. We had enjoyed meeting one of the dancers and trying on ballet costumes in the Audience Open Day. Now, as we walked into the Hippodrome’s auditorium we could sense the buzz of excitement. Before taking our seats, we peeped over into the orchestra pit. Seeing the full orchestra tuning up and the range of instruments was very impressive - definitely be nosey! Most children will know the story of Beauty and the Beast really well. This was certainly the case with Little Lady and it helped her to enjoy and understand the ballet. We read the story in the programme as there are some slight variations and additional characters, such as  Cochon and the Wild Girl . There was also a prologue, which explained how the Prince had been turned into the Beast by the Woodsman. The core plot though remained the same and was easy for children and adults to follow. We meet Belle’s vain and selfish sisters in Act 1. Their interact...

I didn’t plan a six year age gap between my girls. Once Little Lady‘s first birthday had passed, it was time to try again for a second baby. I knew it was going to take a while because it had been a long road the first time. As I had packed away each set of baby clothes all clean and labelled with ages, I had prayed that I would be able to use them again. When I actually discovered that I was pregnant again for the second time, it was coming up to Little Lady’s sixth birthday. I was in a state of delighted shock and struggled to believe it could be true. I paid for a scan around seven weeks because I just needed to see that there was actually an embryo inside, growing and safely beating away. Thank goodness for my morning sickness confirming that it was all true! We had left the baby stage behind long ago. Now we were able to leave the house with just a set of keys in our pocket. We had envisaged having children close together, them playing with the same toys and being b...