Elves and the Shoemaker at the Northern Ballet

I’m wearing Fever London dress and cropped cardigan, Modi in Pelle wedge boots and Mulberry Bayswater. Oliver wears Ralph Lauren Kids polo and Next jeans.

Before our fabulous London trip, we were offered press tickets to view the Northern Ballet‘s latest production for kids, the enchanting Elves and the Shoemaker- a sold out week long performance in the October half term, the last day being today.

Fear not though, despite having its world premier in Leeds, it will be touring 16 venues across the UK in spring 2015, including Northern Ballet’s national tour, so don’t miss it!

A ballet lover, this was the children’s first time- they’d sat through theatre performances from a young age and had always been captivated, so I was hopeful they’d enjoy it…and I wasn’t wrong.

Transfixed from the opening scene, Oliver was so impressed, he kept asking me if the dancers were real.

I suppose the boundaries between television, film and live performance can feel blurred at 4 1/2 and these dancers really were magical!

An incredible way to introduce children to ballet, the Elves and the Shoemaker follows other short Northern Ballet productions for small people including Ugly Duckling and Three Little Pigs which were seen by more than 53,000 people and on TV by more than 300,000 in Cbeebies adaptations, for which Ugly Duckling even won a children’s BAFTA.

Retelling the famous Brothers Grimm short of a poor Shoemaker who received help from two caring elves, this is a vibrant, awe-inspiring production (is it too late for me to train as a ballerina?) that moved me to tears by the close and had a huge, uplifting impact on my young children who danced their way out of the theatre!

It was such a joy, a visual and aural experience that TV and film just can’t satisfy in the same way. That proximity to the performance, that real surround sound of a live Orchestra is quite extraordinary and we will be returning again, as soon as we can.

The next production at the Northern Ballet suitable for children is Peter Pan, a Christmas extravaganza at The Grand from Thursday 11 November to 20 December 2014.