Football fans know better or why to visit Turandot

Visiting world-class shows is quite costly but fortunately live broadcasting makes these performances accessible. 
 
In March 2023 the Royal London Opera presents Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot and the local entrepreneurial theatres offer it on their screen to opera lovers. 
The neighbourhood Regent Centre theatre also broadcasts the opera and I am lucky to attend it on a friend’s invitation. 
 
Of course, The Regent Centre is not the Royal Opera theatre, still it provides the needed feeling of entering the realm of drama and dreams. The theatre’s kind and helpful staff (or volunteers) make us feel very welcome. 
 
 
 
 
 
Everyone knows the opera Turandot. If you insist you have never heard of it ask the football fans around the world about the most famous opera aria “Nessun Dorma” ( the translation is “None shall sleep”). The aria is from Turandot. 
 
Football people will sing it for you or will show you the performance of the Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti at the 1994 World Cup on YouTube and you will remember it. 
 
Opera Turandot is a wise choice to introduce someone new to the art of opera and to show them that enjoying opera is not intellectual snobbery for at least three reasons:
1. First and foremost, Guacomo Puccini’s music vibrates with the rhythm of our hearts. 
 
The well known aria Nessun Dorma is in the final 3rd Act of the Opera. The stage is dark and mysterious, Chinese style lanterns move by a wind and the sense of danger and threat prevails. 

And the hero, Prince Calaf, son of Timur, enters the stage. The tenor Yonghoon Lee wears a bright red shirt in contrast to the darkness of the stage. His beautiful and powerful  voice is rising and falling, resonating with the hopes and wishes of the heart, leading to the moment of strength and determination. 
 
That is the apotheosis of the aria and the opera – the determination to overcome the challenges, to conquer, to win. Are you surprised that the football world loves the aria? Check the translation of the famed last world “Vincero”of the aria! (*The answer is at the end of the post)
 
 
2. Secondly, Turandot is a mysterious and exotic opera. It is set in ancient China and has all the ingredients of alluring entertainment – drama, tragedy, murder, love.
 
 Even the story of creating the opera is unusual  and you will be captivated reading the facts about its history and completion. 
 
The libretto is typical for the era of Romanticism.The plot does not follow logic, it looks strange for our 21st century brains but who says magic and love are rational?
 
 
3.  Finally, the Royal Opera House offers a first-class production. 
The cast, the orchestra and the conductor Antonio Pappano, the costumes, the stage design and the broadcasting are the best. 
You do not need to be an expert to recognise the quality of the performance and the highest possible standard of what opera art can offer. 
I have one more argument up my sleeve to convince you to visit Turandot. Why don’t you listen to the singer Aretha Franklin performing soulful interpretation of Nessun Dorma. Do you like it?
https://youtu.be/k33sINjn9o0
 

*I will win

Ballet Club strikes again

My friend Catherine and I are developing a taste for the art of ballet, particularly classical ballet – the one where delicate ballerinas in white tutus and pink pointe shoes do pirouettes and danseurs in tights hold them in the air. 
Recently a friend of mine informed me that visiting ballet had become very trendy, mainly among mature audiences. I am delighted to hear that Catherine and I are trendy and not so sure about the maturity.
 

The performing company is the Varna International Ballet – the troupe is visiting Bournemouth as part of their 75-year anniversary tour of the UK.

Varna is a city on the North East cost of the Bulgarian Black Sea. It hosts the Varna State Opera House and the well-established annual Varna International Ballet Competition.

The Varna ballet troupe is international. Bulgarian presence is limited to the role of Berthe, Giselle’s mother and one ballerina in the Corps de ballet.
The Bournemouth Pavilion theatre is not completely full, there are noticeable empty seats. A possible explanation is the performance of the more popular Swan Lake the following evening. 

Still, the atmosphere is electric and the audience is enthusiastic. There are many mature ladies around. Two of them are openly flirting with the bartender in the Circle bar, another loud group of six take seats on the first row of the stalls and energetically flirt with the flamboyant conductor. I wonder if that is what our friend meant about the mature interest in ballet. 
Our seats are perfect, second row from the stage. I find the design of the orchestra box ridiculous, The public cannot see the orchestra or the body of the conductor but his head sticks out like the head of a scarecrow.
 
Next to us is a beautiful young girl who I suspect is Bulgarian. Near miss, she is Turkish. She studied art in her home land and now works in the family restaurant in Charminster. She comes to the ballet in her day off. 

The show is called Giselle. It is a classic ballet in two acts. The music was created by the French composer Adolphe Adam. Giselle is a romantic fairytale about the life-saving power of love. 
The ballet group tells us the story in an elegant and expressive manner. 
The first act is alluring but the real knockout is the second act. It is exquisite and mystique, wonderful and engaging. 
The choreography is superb, the technique – flawless. The costumes and the decors convey the aesthetic of the narrative. The show even uses modern technology to present the spirits of the Wilis (young virgins who died before their wedding day) in the second Act.

The audience sincerely congratulate the artists and orchestra (special applause for the conductor from you know who). The ballet alters our mundane day with a spark of love and magic and lifts us up.

Catherine and I promise our Turkish neighbour that we will visit her restaurant on the days she works there. Yes, we need to book a table as the restaurant is very busy. That is not a surprise – with a waitress who studied art and visits ballet this restaurant should be great at staff recruitment. 
How will our ballet delight continue? Being very fond of the music of Tchaikovsky I am going to book tickets for The Nutcracker.

On the right meridian

Imagine that your plane takes off from Heathrow on Monday 13th March at 0.01am and heads WEST in the direction of Anchorage airport in Alaska.
  
The journey lasts over 15 hours. What time and date will you arrive in Alaska?
 
Similar question – why do you experience jet lag when you travel from Paris to New Zealand or from Tokyo to Berlin?


One way to find the answer to these questions or to refresh and deepen your knowledge about time and space is to visit the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. 

Arriving in style appeals to Adrian and myself so we board a City cruise boat. 
The boat leaves the impressive area of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and sails east. 
Further along the River Thames estuary the water is getting choppy.
On the both sides of the waterfront dark brownish and grey warehouses, converted into modern, interior-trendy apartments (I guess) connect the past with the present.
This is the area where in previous centuries ships from all over the world were coming to trade.
The skyscrapers of Canary Wharf appear on the left bank and minutes later the boat stops at Greenwich pier. 
 
 
 
It is a cold March morning.
Greenwich Park is beaming with children, parents, dogs, joggers, and of course, the flood of international tourists climbing the Greenwich Hill. It  includes a huge group of students from Scandinavia who are surprisingly awake and chatty following their teachers.
We speed up to overtake them and then we are at the top of the hill. 
 
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is the home of the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time. 
 
 
The Prime Meridian is a humble line, unnoticeable as everything worth noticing could be. It is a line in the pavement in the courtyard of the Observatory. 
Two signs indicate that this is not an ordinary line. One is the big Airy Transit Circle telescope in the building behind the line, constructed by the seventh Royal Astrologer George Riddell Airy.
The second sign signalling the uniqueness of the 0” longitude line is the fuss around it – families with children and young people from all over the world are taking photos here.Yes, they aim to show their exciting life on Instagram and TikTok but there is more to that.
The left leg is in the west hemisphere and the right leg is on the east hemisphere of planet Earth. Who can do that? Only heroes!!! Heroes like Batman or Spiderman, or Indiana Jones. 
The impossible is possible, everything is possible. On the right meridian everything is possible. 
 
If I dig deeper, the Royal Observatory makes everyone feel a part of something greater than themselves, something that is called progress.
The prime meridian is arbitrary – it could be everywhere in the world.
The International Meridian conference in Washington in October 1884 decided by nations’ votes that Airy’s meridian should be the prime meridian. The main reason was the fact that in the second half of the 19th Century 72% of the world’s trade was dependant on the sea-charts which had already accepted Greenwich as the prime meridian (based on the Nautical Almanac of Nevil Maskelyne, the fifth Royal Astronomer).
The same conference approved the proposal of the Scottish-born engineer Stanford Fleming for 24 time zones, each representing 15” of longitude and an hour of solar time. The developing railway systems of America and Canada and their struggle with the local times were behind the proposal. 
 
Away from the fame of the Prime Meridian is the 180” meridian that runs mostly through the Pacific.The 180” meridian is the International Date Lane and strange things with time happen when you cross it from west to east or from east to west.
If you want to have a personal adventure with that – book a flight to Fiji. 
 
Remember, miracles happen on the right meridian!

In the paradise of mass tourism

What is your favourite holiday during the winter? If it is to lie on a sunny beach when it is freezing cold at home, this post is for you. 
The holiday destination is Tenerife. 
 
The main reason for choosing it is the convenient proximity of Bournemouth airport.
 
From the moment Adrian and I enter its terminal the capable and unattractive face of the mass tourism welcome us.
Our departure is early morning on a Saturday. Long queues for check-in are already formed in the airport hall which resembles a huge tent. 
 
Three young officers take their places at the check-in stations. Their bodies and minds appear sleepy, suffering to be at work. Yet, they are very efficient. They perform their tasks quickly, methodically and professionally. In no time the long check-in queues are transformed into queues for the security checks, then for breakfast and later for boarding the plane. 
 
The aircraft is basic and cold, but it takes off on time and lands on time at the Reina Sofia Airport. The journey feels like being on a conveyor belt – in, out, job done. 
 
The Tenerife sun congratulates us. It smiles through the clouds and lightens the azure sea. 
20 mins later we are delivered to the hotel by a petite, delicate female driver who lifts our suitcases like Arnold Schwarzenegger. 
 
The hotel is on the beach promenade and is huge. 
An incredible amount of people wonder around the hotel foyer, the other facilities and the strangely shaped pool outside.
A businesslike receptionist puts yellow bands on our wrists to indicate that breakfast is part of the deal.
Efficient and unpleasant. 
The island of Tenerife is volcanic.
Despite this background the island is a prime example of what business acumen can achieve. The tourism industry here is conducive to all tastes and wallets. The black sand beaches are covered with colourful sunbeds and umbrellas. 
 


Cafes, restaurants and clubs, shops and stalls offer everything the tourists could possibly wish for. 
People working in this industry speak many languages, and seem shrewd and hardworking.
Supermarkets’ shelves are full of goods including tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces. 
Police patrols in cars and on motorcycles are often to be seen. 
 
This exuberant island grows on you. The sense of being sluggish slowly changes to a subtle inclination to step up your game. Summer in winter is not an illusion.
It is more where you find it – in the gentle sense of contentment, in the feeling of laziness, or in the compulsion to join the surfing classes or viking boat trips. 
 
You may prefer people watching  with a San Francisco con alcohol cocktail in hand – observing the parade of all shapes and colours of bodies, proudly exposing themself to their holiday peers.
 
 
Or you may seek the intense dramas in the night clubs or short-lived romances. 
All the time the Sun holds you in its warm cuddle and 
the sea invites you to celebrate vitality. 
 
Summer in winter.

Decision to be indecisive

 
According to western astrology, people born between 22nd September and 23rd October each year belong to the sign of Libra. This sign is perceived as the Hamlet of the zodiac – Libra people are often described as indecisive. Clearly, indecisiveness is painted in a negative way which brands Libra characters quite weak and undesirable to have around. 
 
Despite popular opinion, let’s look beneath and beyond the labels and stereotypes. The trait of being indecisive usually involves three states of affairs: avoiding decisions, taking an incredibly long time to make decisions and being anxious about making the right decisions. 
1. Libra takes a long time to make decisions. 
Libra is an intellectual sign, very analytical, capable of objectively seeing and assessing all sides of the situation/problem. 
Libra knows that decisions have consequences (sometimes beyond their control), therefore they are determined to make smart decisions. This is impossible without collecting all the facts and listening to all the parties which requires time.
In this era of instant gratification, if you are annoyed with the time Libra takes to reach the verdict just agree on a reasonable deadline – the decision will be delivered on time by Libra.
 
2. Libra avoids making decisions. 
Do not be fooled – Libra is a cardinal sign, a sign of initiative, of moving forward. Libra people boldly and confidently make important, life-changing decisions. 
 
Still, they know that mental energy is limited. Frequent usage of the restricted reservoir of cognitive vitality for small, trivial decisions depletes it. Libra people steer clear of decision fatigue and apply the principle of  “choosing your battles”. 
 
They gracefully and charmingly will leave you to make every-day resolutions such as where to eat, how to shop, what movies to see. They are masters of discrimination. 
3. Libra worries about making the right decision. 
One thing needs to be clear here – Libras do not worry about arriving at the right conclusions because they are perfectionists. This is the realm of the Virgo zodiac sign.
 
Libra is the sign of justice and fairness. Libras want to reach a settlement that is fair to everyone involved because they posses amazing ingenuity to build relationships and import peace. 
All that sounds excellent, yet you are not convinced that it is Libra’s decision to be indecisive. You have experienced the suffering of the stuck-in-the-indecision Libras and the tiring wait for their decisions. I have a magical tip for you (the original idea is not mine) that works without fail. 
 
 
Libra is a sign of harmony who strives for happiness and balance.  So, invite “indecisive “Libras to flip a coin in order to resolve a situation. 
 
As crazy as it sounds Libras will do it. 
 
Their  motivation lies in the realisation that decisions and the changes that come with them lead to satisfaction as opposed to the discontent of decision-procrastinating and evasion.
 
Psychological studies have confirmed this and you already know Libra checks all the facts before deciding. 
 

The Greek myth of Icarus or what to do the next three years

We are naturally curious about the future. We want to know what is going to happen in order to navigate successfully through the complexities and challenges of life.
 
Astrology could give us a glimpse of the future (it is 
okay if you do not believe, read the post for fun) 
and could help us work beneficially with some
cosmic energies and vibrations.
 
A major shift will happen in the universe at the beginning of March 2023.  Saturn, the planet of mastery, the strict teacher, is moving into the romantic, dreamy and creative realm of Pisces and will stay there until 2026.
For me, the two most significant Saturn-in-Pisces impacts could be defined as:
1. Life is what you make of it 
2. Let it go
1. Life is what you make of it or the Greek myth of Icarus and his father Daedalus.
In essence, Deadalus  was a skilled craftsman, engineer and innovator. At some point in his life he was living with his son Icarus on the island of Crete. King Minos of Crete employed Deadalus to build a labyrinth where the cannibalistic monster Minotaur could be imprisoned. Dreadalus accomplished the project but later his relationship with the dictator declined and the King threw both him and his son in the labyrinth. 
 
Deadalus knew that eventually the Minotaur would find them in the maze so his inventive mind found the solution – he decided to escape by flying as a bird. A master plan was put in place and the hard work began – father and son diligently collected fallen feathers, carefully designed them into wings and glued them with wax. When the two pairs of wings were ready the father warned his son not to fly too high in the sky as the heat from the sun would melt the wax and ruin the wings. 
 
The plan was executed beautifully and the two man escaped from the labyrinth. However, Icarus was full of adrenaline and the ecstasy of flying. He forgot his father’s words and reached for the sun. The wax on the wings melted, Icarus fell into the sea and drown. Only Deadalus survived. 
 
 
 
 
In the Saturn-in-Pisces light, the lesson of the story could be defined as the”defiance of limitations” or the “desire to transgress human boundaries”. 
My interpretation is that hard work and controlled passion (as opposite of being controlled by passion) pay off in the end. If you have a dream which you want to fulfil or an idea you want to pursue, or a project you want to achieve, the next three years are yours to make it happen. It will be hard, it will require effort, time and sweat but if you are consistent and do not give up, the reward will be yours. Life is what we make of it.
2. “Let it go” or the Ponte Morandi collapse
In 2018 the beautiful Morandi bridge, built in Genoa in the 1960s, partially collapsed. The investigation revealed a “construction defect” and negligent maintenance as the reasons for the disaster. The bridge was completely demolished in June 2019 and the new Genoa-Saint George Bridge was built in 2020. 
 
How does this extreme example relate to Saturn in Pisces theme?  
The moral is that the structures in our lives  – habits, daily routines, personal and professional relationships, education etc will be tested in the next three years. 
The solid constructions will stay  and the outdated, fragile, defective and outgrown forms will collapse. The crumbling could bring sorrow, pain and tears but in the longer term it is good. 
We may miss the old designs but we will not want them back.
Challenging! Exciting! Let’s meet in three years and share the Saturn-in-Pisces experience.  

Love story or a story of imperfection

On 3rd February my ballet buddy Catherine and I attended the Swan Lake performance by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Mayflower theatre in Southampton. 
 
The nearby car park was full. A long, but fast-moving queue led us to the theatre entrance and another to the desk to buy a programme. The foyer was packed with people chatting happily. I spotted many opera coats, silk dresses and velvet jackets and trousers. 
 
Catherine and I were breathing this air of exciting anticipation. People like love stories and ballerinas, but for me I love the music of Tchaikovsky above everything else. Its amazing ingenuity and divine flow is out of this world. 
 
 
The original libretto of Swan Lake presented a romantic story with a tragic end. 
 
The young Prince Siegfield went hunting and saw a beautiful swan near a mystical lake which transformed into a stunning girl at midnight. That was Princess Odette. She was cursed by the evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart and became a swan along with her companions. The Prince fell in love with the innocent Princess and declared his forever love to her. 
 
But the sun was rising and the cursed Princess had to change back to a swan and fly. 
 
The Prince was truly in love, yet the evil did not sleep. Baron von Rothbart presented his daughter Odile, disguised as Odette, to the Prince at the ball in the castle. The black swan Odile tempted and passionately seduced the Prince. 
 
This was a game-changer because the curse upon Odette could only be broken if the Prince was faithfully in love with only her. When the Prince realised what he had done, he and Odette jumped into the lake and drowned. 
 
 
 
 
The audience did not like this ending so the libretto was changed and different shows offer different endings. 
 
 
The Birmingham ballet chose the tragic exit. The Prince was forgiven by Odette and they both disappeared into the lake. Their unconditional love lifted the spell from the swans.
 
The audience in the Mayflower theatre was so captivated by the show that at the crucial moments of the ballet the only sound I could hear was my own breath and the tapping of ballet shoes on the stage.
Swan Lake was performed for the first time by the Imperial Ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre in the 19th century during the era of romanticism. Looking at the narrative through the glasses of the 21st century I feel that this beautiful story is about acceptance. 
Self-acceptance and a true acceptance of people we love. We love to love with pure, devoted and innocent love but we also want to experience passionate, adventurous seduction.
Baron Rothbart is not the external evil, he is actually the inner complexity of Prince Siegfried’s soul and it is up to him to find a way to deal with it. But the first steps are self-awareness and self-acceptance.
 
We all have light and darkness inside, impulses of destruction and renewal and dealing with these forces is part of human nature. It seems to me that 
 
The white Odette and the dark Odile live all the time inside our lovers and even though we find it difficult to believe they make the person whole. 
 
 
 
 
As hard as it is, when we accept that human nature is far from perfect, love becomes invincible and a fact of life.

Indulge in pleasure

 
At the end of January it feels like winter goes on forever. One way of dealing with the end-of-winter blues is to have a spa day. Even better if the spa day voucher is the present left under the Christmas tree by your loving husband.
The best spa in the local area, by far, is Chewton Glen. Chewton Glen is a luxury country hotel situated between Highcliffe and New Milton. 
 
The most appealing feature of the spa is its spaciousness. The swimming pool hall is roomy, with natural light coming from huge windows and  the ceiling is high. It radiates an atmosphere of relaxation. However, the Chewton Glen spa was recently renovated and I do not fully appreciate the results. The walls were painted white and although the colour enhances the dimensions it reminds me of a hospital. The previous design, in the style of Roman baths, was better for me but let’s put that in the category of personal taste.
The spa bar is comfortable with a stunning view across the gardens. The breakfast is healthy and, importantly, the bartender is Italian. He makes an excellent espresso coffee, which ensures the day kicks off very well. Lunch is served until 15.30.
The changing room is a gem – it contains all the provisions and equipment needed and also has a steam room, sauna, cold drenches and a feet jacuzzi. Here you can spend hours detoxing, healing and energising yourself. The standard of hygiene is very high and it is maintained consistently during the day.
The swimming pool is 17m long and the area is surrounded by snuggly beds. The pool does not have lanes, and at particular times of the day can be overcrowded. Around 11.00 an instructor gives a water aerobic class attended by 6 to 8 ladies. 
The real sense of adventure comes when you go to the jacuzzi outside the hotel. The air is cold and fresh, the water is pleasantly hot. The pressure streams gently massage all areas of the body that need more oxygen and blood. 



Inside, in a spacious conservatory, there is a very big jacuzzi. Nearby are heated beds where you can lie and feel the heat on your lower back and knees. 
This jacuzzi has many sections. There are benches and beds with water pressure massaging your whole body. Other sections direct the water pressure towards your legs, your core muscles or your neck and shoulders. You can focus on all your aches and pains and ease them in the most enjoyable way. 


There is always an idiot in the jacuzzi. They stay upright under the pressure water for the neck and shoulders and splash it all over other people until they finally realise what they are doing or the most impatient spa user enlightens them. 
 
My favourite treatment is the full body massage. This time the treatment room is very disappointing. It is just unpleasant. It reminds me of what the Americans call a “closet”. However, the treatment is very good and the passion fruit sorbet at the end of the procedure is tasty. 
 
 
 
I leave Chewton Glen around 17.00. My body, mind and spirit feel a very pleasant type of tiredness. I can face the rest of the winter now. Spring will be here soon!

The most miserable day of the year – does it exist?

 
 It is winter, it is January. It is freezing cold, it is dark and it is miserable. Spring is miles away. 
Some years ago I read in the newspapers that the third Monday of January was known as  Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. I miscalculated and thought that tomorrow, 23rd January is Blue Monday 2023. 
The story behind Blue Monday is enlightening. In 2005 a travel agency called Sky Travel used the concept of the most depressing day of the year as part of their marketing strategy.
The travel agency claimed that the day was calculated using the formula:  
[W+(D-d)]xTQ=MxNA 
where W is for weather, D – debts, d – monthly salary, T – time since Christmas, Q – time since failed quit attempt, M – low motivational levels and NA- need to take action.
The media liked the idea and Blue Monday became news and 18 years later it still is. 
 
This year the story has a different flavour. The journalists questioned whether the formula has a scientific basis. It appears that the travel agency prepared the statement about Blue Monday in 2004 and offered it to a few professional psychologists to approve it for money. Some declined but one of them Cliff Arnall from Cardiff University’s Centre for Lifelong Learning signed it. It also appeared that the same Cliff Arnall is now campaigning  against the concept of Blue Monday on Twitter.
The answer the journalists received from the professional psychologists when they asked about the calculation was – the formula is  “nonsense”. I am inclined to agree with them and wonder whether the blooming health and wellness industry is there to help us or to make money for some  people. 
 
However, as I said, my calculation that 23rd January is the most depressing day of 2023 is wrong. 16th January has the honour and I recall what I was doing on that day. Would you believe it – Adrian and I went to a travel agency and booked trip to North America in May. The agency was very busy and the pleasant travel agent explained to us that they are inundated with people phoning to book their holiday.
 
So Sky Travel and newspapers sensed in 2005 that the idea of Blue Monday reflected something that we all experience at this time of year – we are craving for the sun. 


Moreover, there are 2 million people in the UK that struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  SAD has symptoms similar to depression such as low mood, lethargy, lost interest in hobbies, irritability, sleeping longer and finding it difficult to get up, putting on weight and a decreasing sex drive. 
Even though the formula is speculative and not scientifically proven I think the media do good by broadcasting it every year. It raises awareness of the fact that the reduced exposure to sunlight during the short and dark autumn and winter days affects us. So, we can do something about it? 
 LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT POST!

Sophie May – a rising star

 
8th January is a cold, rainy, unpleasant day. Adrian (the famous music lover) and I travel to the Absolute Music Studio in Poole.
 
The angle of Adrian’s eyebrows speaks volumes so I keep my thoughts to myself. Monotony and predictability in our lives are necessary evils and although they provide security and safety they rarely nourish our souls. 
But music does. 
 
 
The Absolute Music Studio organises open gigs most Sundays to promote talent. Inside, the cafe is surprisingly cosy and full of musicians and their groupies . The stage is lit by colourful lights and the atmosphere is exuberant. The bar serves espresso coffee in the cutest espresso cups possible.

 
Adrian and I are here to support Sophie May. 
 

Sophie May is a young, beautiful girl. She works full time in a demanding managerial job during the week. She also sings and dances. She practices every day after work. Her family are very supportive and her boyfriend Leon is devoted to her musical career. They are all among the expectant audience. 

 
 
Now it is Sophie May’s turn. She is introduced, a moment of silence and off she goes. Oh my God, this girl is the real deal. Her voice is powerful, she radiates effortless creativity and exhibits an  amazing combination of passion and control. The magic happens and the audience is captivated. 
Behind her impressive performance are years of training and development. Sophie May’s grandmother lived her whole life on stage and her love for music and dance was infectious. Sophie was 2 years old when her grandmother encouraged her to appear on stage in the performance of Bad Day at Black Frog Creek. That was followed by joining the Stage Door School of Dance and Drama at the age of 3 followed by singing tuition with a teacher from Absolute Music from the age of 10. 

Sophie’s portfolio includes performing as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, show casting on the stage in the Bournemouth Pavilion Pantomimes, singing at Madding Crowd Club, Bournemouth and St.Peter’s Church, Parkstone, Poole. 
Sophie sings her three songs: “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, “Make you feel my love” by Adele and “Always remember us this way” by Lady Gaga.  The audience is clapping and cheering. Adrian is smiling and on the way home we are chatting happily about music, musical genres, great singers and the pleasure of witnessing a young and very promising talent. 
I once asked Sophie about the path ahead of her and she did not hesitate for a second “ to follow my dream”. I would not be surprised if the dream leads to the West End stage. Sophie knows that she has a talent and nurturing and developing it is something she owes to herself. She does not want to look back on her life and regret that she did not give it her best. 
I want so much to tell her that the dream journey, the journey of personal growth as part of joie de vivre is wonderful and the concept of “failure” is impossible.
Because life is about being alive not about just being.