0:00:04 > 0:00:06Once upon a time,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09there was a little girl who dreamt of becoming a fairy...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13..and not just any fairy.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15The Sugar Plum Fairy.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Every year, that dream has a chance of coming true
0:00:25 > 0:00:27in one very special place -
0:00:27 > 0:00:30in the Royal Ballet's production of The Nutcracker...
0:00:33 > 0:00:36..a fantasy about an enchanted nutcracker doll
0:00:36 > 0:00:38and a young girl called Clara.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42The ballet tells the story of their battle with the Mouse King
0:00:42 > 0:00:44and their journey to the Kingdom Of The Sweets
0:00:44 > 0:00:47to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54And whoosh! Two, three, four...
0:00:54 > 0:00:56This year, for the very first time,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00they've let the cameras in to witness the magic behind the scenes.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02..five, six, seven, eight, mouse!
0:01:04 > 0:01:07From the students of the Royal Ballet school...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- Wobbly.- Wobbly.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- Do you feel like a gingerbread now? - Yes.- Yeah.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17..to the sparkling Sugar Plum Fairy and her handsome prince.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19You just have to embrace the glitter.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's never going to be worse than that.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25..we'll see the long journey every girl and boy has to make
0:01:25 > 0:01:28to fulfil their dancing dreams.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Every year, the story of the Royal Ballet's Christmas production
0:01:51 > 0:01:55of The Nutcracker starts on one very particular day.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Casting day.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59We start rehearsals for Nutcracker next week,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01so we're just about to put the whole cast up
0:02:01 > 0:02:04so the whole company can see what they're doing for Christmas.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07But we've got 27 shows. It's the biggest we've ever done.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09And it's quite nice, cos it gets the young ones
0:02:09 > 0:02:12a chance to be able to do a major classical role on stage, so it's...
0:02:12 > 0:02:13it's great for them.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17This is when the dancers find out
0:02:17 > 0:02:20who has and who hasn't been given the roles
0:02:20 > 0:02:21they've always dreamed of dancing.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Is this like a wall of dreams?
0:02:26 > 0:02:27A wall of tears, also.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33When Nutcracker goes up, some will be very, very happy
0:02:33 > 0:02:36and some people might not be as happy as they thought.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38- What?!- Oh, no...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40You know, some people have been doing some of the roles
0:02:40 > 0:02:43for quite a few years and other people are doing new things,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46so they get excited cos it's a new role for them and a new challenge.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Mike, we've moving on up. It's a good day.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Same as always... but that's Nutcracker.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Come on!
0:02:57 > 0:03:01One person for whom this year's casting is a dream come true
0:03:01 > 0:03:04is 24-year-old Francesca Hayward,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07one of the Royal Ballet's most promising young stars.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10This year, I'm doing the Sugar Plum Fairy for the first time,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12which is very exciting.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14It's very cool, seeing my name here next to, like,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16all these other names, as well.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Kind of a "pinch me" moment.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Seen by many as Britain's next great ballerina,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Francesca has joined the company's biggest stars,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34having worked her way up to the top rank of the company
0:03:34 > 0:03:36in just five years.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46I was told I was going to be a principal at the end of last season,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and it just seems really surreal.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51I'm at the top rank of the Royal Ballet. That's...
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Like, just saying that sounds really weird.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01For director Kevin O'Hare,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03the Sugar Plum Fairy is the first role
0:04:03 > 0:04:07he gives to fledgling ballerinas he thinks are ready to fly.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12I think this is a really important moment in Francesca's career.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13So now I feel that it's time
0:04:13 > 0:04:16that she really goes for those big classics
0:04:16 > 0:04:18and there's no bigger, really,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21than being the Sugar Plum Fairy, is there?
0:04:22 > 0:04:25The image that everybody has of a ballerina,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27that is the Sugar Plum Fairy.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31It is one of the hardest, hardest roles you can possibly do.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33MUSIC: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Danced by some of the Royal Ballet's most famous names
0:04:36 > 0:04:39from Margot Fonteyn to Darcey Bussell,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42it's the role any young dancer has to master to become
0:04:42 > 0:04:44a truly great ballerina.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Here at the Royal Ballet, of course,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55we want it to look as if you've been doing it for years,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57you're assured, you're the icing on the cake.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02You've got to do it absolutely perfectly, look beautiful,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05look like you're totally in charge.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13The Sugar Plum Fairy has to deliver or else the show just falls flat.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18How could it just disappear?
0:05:18 > 0:05:22My bunion is so sore today, so I've got the biggest toe separator in.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26- Look how big it is!- You look like Mrs Hannigan from Annie.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28LAUGHTER
0:05:30 > 0:05:31I'm joking.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I knew you'd be naked!
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Francesca's magical rise through the ranks
0:05:38 > 0:05:42means leaving her friends in the communal dressing room
0:05:42 > 0:05:43for a room of her own.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49So, today's the day... Oh, Frankie!
0:05:50 > 0:05:54- Sad and happy.- I have a break until about 4:30 if you need any help.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Thank you.- Cool.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01It does feel like a big day, but I don't know... I feel a bit sad.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03I'm just going to miss everyone, I guess, yeah.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08I'll miss the atmosphere up here and the support that everyone gives you.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12It does feel like a big step, it's like the end of a big chapter.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14We've known each other since we were eight.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19So, she's basically my closest friend, so, yeah.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20That's why it's sad.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22GIRLS LAUGH
0:06:26 > 0:06:28I can understand Frankie thinking,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32"Ooh, it's going to be a bit lonely and a bit daunting,"
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I think if I was in a room on my own,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39I'd just be a bit paranoid that I was running late all the time
0:06:39 > 0:06:42or something and I'd start, like, kind of going over steps,
0:06:42 > 0:06:43and if you were doubting yourself
0:06:43 > 0:06:45you wouldn't have your friend to ask.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Oh, that's really nice. This is my new home.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53SHE GASPS
0:06:53 > 0:06:55I've got a fridge.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58That's a joke, because I have to share the fridge
0:06:58 > 0:07:00with everyone else upstairs and it gets really smelly. OK.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Oh, I like it.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04It's very quiet.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Good view. Look at this.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Here we go. There it is.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Every Sugar Plum Fairy needs her prince.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Francesca's this year is 29-year-old Australian dancer
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Alexander Campbell.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Frankie and I haven't actually worked together that much.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43You know, we're still, sort of, getting used to each other.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- Morning. How are you?- Good.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46'I'm very excited.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'There's a lot there to work on that could make it very special.'
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Alongside Francesca,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57this will also be his first classical role as a principal.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Being a principal of The Royal Ballet puts you in a position
0:08:02 > 0:08:04where there's a standard that has to be met.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08You know, the Royal Ballet has this incredible history,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13- and, yeah, it's up to us to uphold that and to carry it forward.- Yes!
0:08:13 > 0:08:17When you're the young soloist coming through, I think people...
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Well, it's probably in your mind,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21but you think people are probably a little bit more lenient
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and gunning for you a little bit.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Oh, yeah, you know, how well did that young soloist do?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28You know, she's on her way, or he's on his way.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Then, all of a sudden, you're a principal. It's like, whoa.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36You cannot drop below that standard no matter how young you are.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37It's a lot of pressure.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- Hello!- Hello!
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- How are you, darling? - How are you?
0:08:52 > 0:08:53CAT MEOWS
0:08:53 > 0:08:57For Francesca, dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy
0:08:57 > 0:08:59has been a lifelong dream.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03- Where are the other cats? - I think they're probably hiding.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Born in Nairobi, she moved to England when she was just two
0:09:06 > 0:09:10to live with her grandparents - Diana and John.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I'm absolutely thrilled that Francesca's a principal.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17That's what she was sort of aiming for all her childhood.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21It just feels like a fairy story somehow.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24I sometimes just can't quite believe it's real.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Right, here we are. Hmm, do you remember?
0:09:37 > 0:09:38FRANCESCA LAUGHS
0:09:38 > 0:09:44- Miss Valerie's class.- Wow. Look at how baggy my leotard is!- Oh, yes!
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Look! Cinderella, you were copying.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- That was actually the broom from the balcony, I remember.- Yes.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54I brought the outside broom into the living room to be Cinderella.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56When Francesca was little,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59she obviously didn't have a partner for all these big roles
0:09:59 > 0:10:01she pictured herself in,
0:10:01 > 0:10:08so, she often used a chair as a partner, or John, or Pixie.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11You were a partner quite often, weren't you?
0:10:11 > 0:10:14You've been the Sugar Plum Prince, haven't you?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I bet these were Miss Valerie's, weren't they?
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Being at Miss Valerie's was really fun.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29And one, two, three, and close.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31One, two, three...
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Valerie Le Serve's dancing school in Worthing
0:10:34 > 0:10:38is where Francesca's ballet training began, when she was just three.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39There's a good girl. Well done.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44'When she first came into the baby class,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48'the class that Evelyn is in now, Francesca had...'
0:10:48 > 0:10:52that something that nobody else has, that's different
0:10:52 > 0:10:56from all the other pupils, that charisma, that aura, something.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59She just walked in and the posture,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01and everything was there from day one.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08I mean, she was a joy to teach, you know, because she was so focused
0:11:08 > 0:11:13and dedicated that no matter what you told her to do, she could do.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19This is my ballet wall about Francesca,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and it starts out, really,
0:11:21 > 0:11:26when she won the Young Dancer Of The Year Award in 2010,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28but because I've run out of wall,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32I'm sort of having to go over the top of everything.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Miss Valerie was the first to spot Francesca's budding talent,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41and encouraged her to audition for the Royal Ballet's junior school,
0:11:41 > 0:11:42known as White Lodge.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46When she went to White Lodge, I really missed her
0:11:46 > 0:11:47in the classes here,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51but you can't stop your pupils from forwarding their careers.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56You know, it was what she had to do, so my loss was her gain,
0:11:56 > 0:11:57let's put it that way.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08# Stars shining bright above you... #
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Tucked away in Richmond Park, once a royal hunting lodge,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15White Lodge is the junior wing of the Royal Ballet School.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17BELL RINGS
0:12:17 > 0:12:21# Birds singing in the sycamore trees
0:12:21 > 0:12:26# Dream a little dream of me... #
0:12:26 > 0:12:30This is where Francesca and countless other Royal Ballet stars,
0:12:30 > 0:12:35such as Darcey Bussell, started their formal training, aged just 11.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40One of the school's ballet teachers is Hope Keelan.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Francesca Hayward, here.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Francesca's year group, that she was with, there was a lot of talent
0:12:48 > 0:12:53in the year group, and she made my teaching look fabulous, and...
0:12:53 > 0:12:57You know, she could take my enchainment somewhere
0:12:57 > 0:12:59where I didn't know it could go,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02because her soul, even in Year Eight,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04just loved her ballet.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08And you can't teach that drive. You can inspire it,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10but you can't teach it.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13But there might be one short, because last time...
0:13:13 > 0:13:16For the students at White Lodge, that inspiration begins
0:13:16 > 0:13:20with the opportunity to dance in the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23It's a wonderful thing,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27to have a production where so many children are involved.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34I've got 78 children in Years Seven, Eight, and Nine,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38and the goal has been to try and use all of them in Nutcracker.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Just like Francesca, who first danced with the Royal Ballet
0:13:44 > 0:13:46in this production in Year Seven,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50this will be their first step to becoming professional dancers.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57The moment we start Nutcracker, the children realise why they're here.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02It's a golden opportunity for our children to experience
0:14:02 > 0:14:05what it's like to be on the Royal Opera House stage.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08That's not just any stage - it's huge.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14I'm going up for a small soldier, a page, a party child, and Fritz.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17So quite a lot!
0:14:17 > 0:14:21This year, I'm going for party child, Fritz, rabbit drummer,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24tall soldier, small soldier...
0:14:26 > 0:14:29We're both playing the part of gingerbreads.
0:14:29 > 0:14:35And the gingerbreads come on, before the battle, and they're happy,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and then the battle starts, and they get really scared.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44- And that's when, really, the dance properly starts, and...- Yeah.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47We're yummy, so we've got to look yummy on stage.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54New boy Thomas, who's only been at the school for four weeks,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58has his heart set on landing one of the most exciting junior roles
0:14:58 > 0:15:02in the ballet - the rabbit drummer,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06a starring part in one of The Nutcracker's most dramatic scenes -
0:15:06 > 0:15:07the battle with the Mouse King.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13There's six boys, so it's going to be quite hard
0:15:13 > 0:15:16to get the rabbit drummer place, which I really want.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19To be rabbit drummer is really cool,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21because there's only one of you on stage,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24so, like, for instance, there's so many tall soldiers,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27but there's only one rabbit drummer and one sentry on stage,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31and you can just be on your own there, and doing your own stuff.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Good boy. Big jump! Down.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It's difficult, because there's lots of little different steps
0:15:36 > 0:15:37which you've got to pick up,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and different arms that are always going to be a bit change-y.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49Thomas is up against boys older and more experienced than he is,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51but he's no stranger to a challenge,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55after spending Year Seven playing Billy Elliot on the London stage.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01For his dancer mum and dad at home in Doncaster,
0:16:01 > 0:16:06going for the rabbit drummer is evidence of Thomas' determination.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10When he said, "They'll be casting Nutcracker," and everything,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12we thought he might be a little bit,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15"I'm not really sure whether I want to do that."
0:16:15 > 0:16:17As soon as he got there,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20because it was something where he had to push himself,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24and it's competitive, I think he just saw everybody else and thought,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27"Yeah, I really want to do this. This is what I want to do."
0:16:27 > 0:16:29You could hear in his voice
0:16:29 > 0:16:32that he desperately wants to try and get one of the parts,
0:16:32 > 0:16:37so I think it's just in him, yeah, whatever it is.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38Yeah.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Also dreaming of dancing in this year's Nutcracker
0:16:44 > 0:16:46are the final year students
0:16:46 > 0:16:49of the Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Nobody talks in the morning, unless they want me
0:16:52 > 0:16:55for anything specific, which sometimes you do, don't you?
0:16:55 > 0:16:56But most of the time, they don't talk.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04There's roughly around 10 hours a day of dancing, nine till six.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06It's a tough life.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13It's their final year of training, and they're about to audition
0:17:13 > 0:17:16for one of the most magical scenes in the ballet -
0:17:16 > 0:17:18the Dance of the Snowflakes.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30In this scene, which takes place in the Land of Snow,
0:17:30 > 0:17:3424 ballerinas transform themselves into snowflakes,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37creating snow flurries that dance across the stage.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Dancing as a snowflake is a rite of passage for any budding ballerina
0:19:24 > 0:19:27hoping to land a job with the Royal Ballet,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and the woman the students have to impress
0:19:30 > 0:19:32is ballet mistress Samantha Raine.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35It's a very busy period for us.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Some of the dancers here will be doing other roles,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41which means we'll need students to fill in to THEIR role,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44so I need at least five or six students
0:19:44 > 0:19:46to make sure they know what they're doing,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and they could be thrown into different places.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Obviously, it's their dream to join the Royal Ballet,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and this is the first step, I suppose,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56so I think they are obviously trying to impress.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58They all want to work with the company.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03One of the girls hoping to catch Sam's eye is 18-year-old Nadia.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Having Sam Raine coming over is quite scary,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11because we're in the third year now, so we're kind of looking for a job.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15In a way, it's like an audition every time she comes and teaches us.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Four, eight, down, four, eight, arabesque, and down, up...
0:20:19 > 0:20:21You have to be so on the ball,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23cos there's a lot of kind of running around and patterns,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25and if you're not in the right place at the right time,
0:20:25 > 0:20:26it can be really kind of...
0:20:26 > 0:20:28It's all really fast, as well.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30..three, four, five, six, one, two, arms!
0:20:30 > 0:20:34We're working so hard underneath, and to everyone else it looks like
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- we're just floating, in pointe shoes.- No, we're not!
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Now run out to make your circle.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Not only is Snowflakes the most complicated choreography
0:20:42 > 0:20:45in the ballet, it's also gruelling on the body.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Snowflakes is really tough on your feet,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52because there's a lot of pointe work, a lot of fast footwork.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I feel really disgusting!
0:20:55 > 0:20:57I've just got really bruised toenails.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Yeah, they're pretty gross.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02MUSIC: Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground
0:21:03 > 0:21:06For Francesca, becoming the Sugar Plum Fairy
0:21:06 > 0:21:08will be the culmination of a wish she made
0:21:08 > 0:21:10when she was just three years old.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16It was a wish that came alive thanks to a precious family heirloom.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21This is the very first ballet video I ever watched.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24£9.99, it was, from WH Smith.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Good old Smith's!
0:21:25 > 0:21:27I love Smith's.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35As soon as you heard music, you had to get up, and danced.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41'As soon as I saw it, I just wanted to be doing it, too.'
0:21:41 > 0:21:45- I think you thought she really was a fairy.- Yeah.- A real fairy.- Yeah.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Erm... And you just wanted to be her.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52In my head, I was.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53I had everything.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57I had the dress on, and I was on stage, and people were clapping.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03It has been an amazing thing, almost as if it was meant to happen.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And as if by magic, Francesca's first ever Sugar Plum,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Lesley Collier, has been given the task of helping her
0:22:15 > 0:22:17transform into a fairy.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Today is their first rehearsal.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30I feel Sugar Plum Fairy is danced mostly at Christmas time,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and I always felt, as a dancer,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37that I had to give a present to that audience,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and I say that to people that I coach - "Remember it's a present".
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Joining them is The Nutcracker's fairy godfather,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49the ballet's choreographer, Sir Peter Wright.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54He'll be overseeing this year's production on his 90th birthday.
0:22:54 > 0:23:00A great Sugar Plum Fairy needs to have gone one step further
0:23:00 > 0:23:04than just being a lovely ballerina,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08doing all her beautiful steps and lifts and jumps and pirouettes.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11She's got to feel and believe
0:23:11 > 0:23:16that she's a magical being. She should be light and sparkling,
0:23:16 > 0:23:17and weightless.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22You make the audience think that you can really fly.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28He has memories of Margot doing it.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I never saw Margot do it, but he has lovely memories,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36and he tries to make all his Sugar Plums recreate that image
0:23:36 > 0:23:41that he remembers, which is very nice, actually.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46So I guess it's up to us to try to keep Peter's wishes alive
0:23:46 > 0:23:47as best we can.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53AUDIENCE CHEERS
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Lesley was the first proper ballerina that I ever watched,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and so I feel that it represents everything
0:24:09 > 0:24:14that you've trained years and years and years for to become a ballerina.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Now I've got to this stage, that's incredible,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20but I'm a baby ballerina. Like, this is...
0:24:20 > 0:24:22I mean, maybe if I look back on this in ten years, I'll laugh at myself,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27and think, you know, how young and inexperienced I was.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30All the way to the corner, and come round the front.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34'It's so difficult to explain what makes a great Sugar Plum.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37'She must look like a fairy,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40'and she has to transport you to another world.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45'I love Frankie. I love her a lot,'
0:24:45 > 0:24:47because I find that I will have just
0:24:47 > 0:24:51mentioned something to her, and I find that she does it.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57I don't have to say it again. It's... She's a remarkable girl.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24'I was emotional at times.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'There was one moment in that rehearsal, I did think,'
0:25:27 > 0:25:30"I'm doing the Sugar Plum Fairy, and it's for real!"
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Oh, that's good, lovely. You see, that's just the right line.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41HE HUMS ALONG
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The important thing is the whole pas de deux
0:25:53 > 0:25:55is stress on Sugar Plum FAIRY.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01So beautiful and sparkling and light, and all the time,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03you look as if you're floating on the floor.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- But it's quite good...- I think that was a very good rehearsal.- Yes.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09No, it's going to be lovely. Very good. You look very good together.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- And she looks like a fairy. - Yes, yes, she does.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I think, you know, a lot of people have said, you know,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17physically, we're a good match,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19you know, height-wise and all the rest of it,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and then I think, actually, seeing you on stage,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26and knowing what I like to perform...how I like to perform,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29there's a possibility that's going to be a good match as well.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32You never know until you get on and do it.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- But, all smiles at the moment, so... - Yes.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Ballet marriage! Beautiful.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Get back to us in, like, three or four months, and we're divorced.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Ballet divorce!
0:26:46 > 0:26:47Couples therapy!
0:26:50 > 0:26:51No, I'm excited.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54Stop it.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Every year, the full company rehearsals for The Nutcracker
0:27:03 > 0:27:07begin with the arrival of guest principal ballet master
0:27:07 > 0:27:08Christopher Carr.
0:27:10 > 0:27:16We have five weeks to get this massive production on,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18with all these casts.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23This cast sheet is probably the most complicated cast sheet
0:27:23 > 0:27:24we've ever had.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27It's quite a big undertaking.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29My blood pressure just goes, "Zoop"!
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Mr Carr's first job is a visit to White Lodge,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41where he, too, was once a student,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44to cast the child roles in The Nutcracker.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50It's like going back to school for me, going back through these gates.
0:27:50 > 0:27:51Scary.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02This is the moment the children have been building up to.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05You have to give him what he wants, or he's not pleased.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09He'll change every single thing, and he'll spend ages on you
0:28:09 > 0:28:11doing your part, and that's quite daunting.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13He's really exact.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20It's so that he gets what he wants, so it's, like, top notch quality.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Your foot could be, like, a millimetre too high.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24He'd say, "Too high, too high,"
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and it'll be that much lower, and he'll go, "Perfect".
0:28:30 > 0:28:33I think they build up this day a little bit in their minds,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36that it's like make or break time, really.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41I'm terrible with names, but, erm...
0:28:41 > 0:28:45I'm quite good with steps, but I'm not so good with names.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48That's what counts! So let's start with...
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Why don't we get Casper to go first?
0:28:51 > 0:28:53So, you're running to meet your family.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Yes! Exactly. Yeah.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59First up to audition is 12-year-old Casper.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Yes!
0:29:05 > 0:29:07All right, OK, so try not to do...
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Yeah? Normal.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15'As soon as I walk into the studio, I usually tell them,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17' "You are not a dancer," '
0:29:17 > 0:29:22exactly the opposite from what they've been taught at White Lodge.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24The running on was good.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29'I like them to be totally natural, as if they're enjoying themselves,
0:29:29 > 0:29:32'really, and not really having trained as a dancer.'
0:29:32 > 0:29:34We want it to be real. It has to be real.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Because I was the first one,
0:29:39 > 0:29:41I was getting quite a lot of corrections,
0:29:41 > 0:29:43but I don't take corrections in a bad way.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46I think that they're a way they want you to improve,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49and what I normally do is I write down all the corrections I get
0:29:49 > 0:29:51after rehearsal or ballet class,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53and then I just read through them before I go to bed,
0:29:53 > 0:29:57and then I try and put them into place the next day,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59and then hopefully I'll get new ones,
0:29:59 > 0:30:00or hopefully he'll say it was good.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Either is nice.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. One...
0:30:07 > 0:30:10I think it's a bit like the army when I'M taking rehearsal.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13I mean, I...
0:30:13 > 0:30:17I do drill a lot, because when they're performing,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19there's a lot that can go wrong.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21Tight foot! Ta-da!
0:30:22 > 0:30:27'I give 1,000% of myself. I mean, I do. All day, I'm here.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30'I'm a wreck when I get home at night, but, you know,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32'it's fulfilling when the curtain goes up
0:30:32 > 0:30:34'and you see what's been done, and how people improve,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37'because you've screamed at them all day.'
0:30:37 > 0:30:38Down, up, down.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Brush, brush, tap.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47One, one, one, two, three. Chasse.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50All right, OK.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55If you're not together, even your mother will know you've gone wrong.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Next in line are the boys auditioning for the prized role
0:30:58 > 0:31:00of the rabbit drummer.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03It's make or break time for Thomas.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06'Fingers crossed.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08'I'll hopefully get it.'
0:31:09 > 0:31:13But Thomas has to wait his turn, as the more senior boys are up first.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Get quicker up the second time. And up!
0:31:19 > 0:31:20All right, OK, hang on...
0:31:20 > 0:31:23With the time running out, not everyone can be seen.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Erm, come forward another set,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28so let's look at the other set of rabbit drummers.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29- This is the one you haven't seen. - Right.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33- Can I see this one very quickly? - Yes.- Yeah.- Thomas or Aiden?
0:31:33 > 0:31:36- They've both got... - Who's the most senior?
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- Thomas is.- Thomas. - No, Aiden.- Aiden, Aiden, right, OK.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Unfortunately, it's not Thomas' day.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46It was either me or Aiden, and he went, "Whoever's senior."
0:31:46 > 0:31:49So I didn't get to perform, cos obviously, Aiden's in Year Nine,
0:31:49 > 0:31:54so, he did it and I didn't get to do it, but, it was OK.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Oh, and you haven't seen little Thomas.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59'I said, "Would you like to see these boys again?",'
0:31:59 > 0:32:01and he picked the two that he wanted to see,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04so he's made the decision, and he's the boss.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06First and second we saw today.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09'You know, these knocks is part of the training.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11'They have no control over it.'
0:32:12 > 0:32:15They just have to ride the wave. That's what it is.
0:32:38 > 0:32:43For the student snowflakes in waiting, it's also casting day,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45and it's good news for Nadia.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49This could be her chance to shine on the Opera House stage.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51My name's down for snowflakes, and flowers,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54and sleeping beauty as well,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56which is going on all at the same time!
0:32:57 > 0:32:59'When I saw the casting, I kind of, like,'
0:32:59 > 0:33:04had a little butterfly in my tummy and stuff, but mainly excitement.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12And there's no time to rest -
0:33:12 > 0:33:15it's straight off to the first snowflakes rehearsal
0:33:15 > 0:33:16with the main company.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22For the students, it is very daunting.
0:33:22 > 0:33:23There's a lot to learn,
0:33:23 > 0:33:27and there's a lot of pressure to come up to the level of the company.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I'm quite excited, but it's also quite nerve-racking,
0:33:30 > 0:33:34cos it's still a bit intimidating, and they're all...
0:33:34 > 0:33:35But it should be fun.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42So come to the middle red, leaders.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Make this a circle. Try and bulge out.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Come to the middle red.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53In this complex dance, one of the hardest challenges
0:33:53 > 0:33:57is finding your marks while being constantly on the move.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00In the studio, there are red marks on the floor.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Tape marks, but on stage, they denote the red lights,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05basically, so it's a way of finding where you are on the stage,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08cos you can imagine at the edge of the stage, it's just black,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11so it helps the dancers to find exactly where they should be,
0:34:11 > 0:34:16and with something like Snowflakes, every single place is essential.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21And stop, and lift everything on that burst.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24You know, everyone's trying to get to their place, their spot,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27before the jete circle at the end.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31And if you don't know, there's definitely going to be a crash.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33I've seen a few wigs flying off in the past, as well!
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Yeah, it's very unforgiving if you don't know what you're doing.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46But, fortunately, because it's a team thing,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49you'll have people who help you,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51so I remember a girl going in last minute -
0:34:51 > 0:34:54we had a very basic placing call for her,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57and then she was on - and I remember just grabbing her waist
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and moving her, so that she stayed in the same pattern.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04So, yeah, we help each other out, and that's the way it works.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06We'll get there eventually.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09OK, stop, stop, stop, stop.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Yeah, it makes us feel better that some people here
0:35:14 > 0:35:16are making mistakes as well.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20That was useless, but carry on for now. Two, three...
0:35:20 > 0:35:22It's so complicated, the counts,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25and just everyone doing different things,
0:35:25 > 0:35:27and each line is going a separate way, and...
0:35:27 > 0:35:30It's so hard to keep your brain together.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35That's it, good. Good. Very good, everyone. Not bad for a first time.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Over in the Kingdom of the Sweets, Francesca and Alexander
0:35:50 > 0:35:53have also reached a key moment in their rehearsals.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56OK, right, made a decision.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00They will now run the entire piece from start to finish.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03I just got a text right now from my nan,
0:36:03 > 0:36:05wishing me good luck for my rehearsal for Sugar Plum,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08cos she knew I was running it for the first time.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15And who said being a fairy was easy?
0:36:16 > 0:36:20For Francesca, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
0:36:20 > 0:36:22is a gruelling 12-minute workout,
0:36:22 > 0:36:25a long pas de deux, followed by a punishing solo.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30- Good girl.- Sorry.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34No, don't be sorry. Don't be sorry. You've never done this before.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35FRANCESCA SIGHS
0:36:35 > 0:36:36My left foot.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Stretch your calves.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41'Of course it's not easy.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45'We haven't actually worked on it at all for a whole week,
0:36:45 > 0:36:50'and Francesca particularly has to test how it feels,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54'and then it'll give her the idea of what she's got to build on.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59'It's about building stamina, to make it look effortless.'
0:37:10 > 0:37:12'I think when you run it for the first time,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15'it can be a little bit of a, you know, a reality check,
0:37:15 > 0:37:16'and you realise,'
0:37:16 > 0:37:19' "Actually, this is a lot harder than maybe I was anticipating," '
0:37:19 > 0:37:21which is why it's good to do it sooner rather than later,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23cos you don't want to run it two days before, and go,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26"Oh, my God, I'm a long way away from where I need to be!"
0:37:26 > 0:37:28After Alexander's solo,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Francesca then has a challenging 16 fouette turns,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35before going straight into the finale with her prince.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39You're basically relying on your autopilot,
0:37:39 > 0:37:42so that's why you train for eight years,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44because that's when you need it.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47When you're that tired, you actually can't be thinking about it,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50you just need to know it's going to happen.
0:37:50 > 0:37:51And you hope that it will.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31Well done. Well done. It's never going to be worse than that.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42It's never going to be worse than that.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43Are you OK?
0:38:43 > 0:38:46My right leg just felt like it weighed about 10 stone in that solo!
0:38:49 > 0:38:51It's fine. I'll be up soon.
0:38:51 > 0:38:52I'm really impressed...
0:38:54 > 0:38:58..cos I would never have done that so far away from the performance.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59OK!
0:38:59 > 0:39:03- So, we've got a nice long time to build that up.- Yep.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07OK? Have a breather.
0:39:09 > 0:39:10Have a breather.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Yes, take them off and hang them up.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22With three weeks to go until opening night,
0:39:22 > 0:39:26it's all hands on deck to create the world of The Nutcracker.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31Making magic takes hard work, and attention to detail.
0:39:32 > 0:39:38# Have yourself a merry little Christmas
0:39:38 > 0:39:44# Let your heart be light
0:39:45 > 0:39:53# From now on, our troubles will be out of sight... #
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Can I take a picture, please?
0:40:00 > 0:40:02- SHE LAUGHS - Just to freak everyone out.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05- Thanks, Helen. - SHE LAUGHS
0:40:05 > 0:40:06Start from the beginning.
0:40:06 > 0:40:13# If the fates allow
0:40:13 > 0:40:17# Hang a shining star
0:40:17 > 0:40:23# Upon the highest bough
0:40:25 > 0:40:29# And have yourself
0:40:29 > 0:40:36# A merry little Christmas now... #
0:40:38 > 0:40:40We're revving up for the start of Nutcracker.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Rehearsals are really in full swing now,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45and so it's all coming together
0:40:45 > 0:40:48and we actually have to sort of glue it all
0:40:48 > 0:40:50to make sure the magic of The Nutcracker
0:40:50 > 0:40:52and the magic of Christmas comes together.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Nice and controlled.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Big push. Easy.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01- I did stretch this one, as well. - WOMAN CHUCKLES
0:41:01 > 0:41:06# Now. #
0:41:11 > 0:41:14For Sir Peter, there's one last job to do
0:41:14 > 0:41:18to make this year's production extra special.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20Four and five and six and seven...
0:41:20 > 0:41:23For his 90th birthday, he's decided to re-choreograph
0:41:23 > 0:41:28one of the most memorable dances in the ballet, the Chinese Dance.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Helping him are male soloists Marcelino and Luca.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38- Hi.- I'm Peter Wright. - Hi, I'm Luca. Nice to see you.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40I'm going to need you to show me
0:41:40 > 0:41:42some fabulous steps and things, that you love doing.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- OK. Yes, no problem.- Yes? Good.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49It's always great to have the choreographer in the room.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54And how fab for Luca and Marcelino to have time in the studio?
0:41:54 > 0:41:56I mean, I saw them before and they were excited, you know.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59And it's lovely for them to feel
0:41:59 > 0:42:02they're part of this ongoing tradition
0:42:02 > 0:42:04of The Nutcracker, and Peter's Nutcracker.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06What about two back and then two...?
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- They need something more in there. - Before they go to her?- Yes.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11Is it a bit like...?
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Yeah, something like that.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15- Yes. - HE LAUGHS
0:42:15 > 0:42:17'When I'm creating a new dance,
0:42:17 > 0:42:23'I do like to get the cooperation of the dancers involved.
0:42:24 > 0:42:30'The two dancers were chosen because they're all brilliant dancers,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33'and I thought, "This must be an opportunity
0:42:33 > 0:42:38' "to show the men off and see what they can do." '
0:42:38 > 0:42:43Sometimes, great moments of dance happen quite by accident.
0:42:43 > 0:42:44- Oh!- Oh!
0:42:44 > 0:42:48But then Sir Peter always has an eye for something new.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51And you could go further back and then...
0:42:51 > 0:42:54- Yes. Yes!- Yeah! - THEY LAUGH
0:42:54 > 0:42:57- Yes.- Can you do that falling back after...?
0:42:57 > 0:43:00- Can you fall? - I can do the frog legs.- Yeah!
0:43:00 > 0:43:02- And then... - THEY LAUGH
0:43:02 > 0:43:05So, what, do the frogs and the splits flat?
0:43:05 > 0:43:10And one, two, travel forward, forward.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Five, six, seven, eight.
0:43:13 > 0:43:18And inwards, 10, 11, 12 and...
0:43:18 > 0:43:22No, it's not hard. It's only half a second.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25- It's really hard at the end of it. - THEY LAUGH
0:43:25 > 0:43:27- PETER WRIGHT:- It's going to be fabulous. It really will.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30The next step is actually going into the studio now
0:43:30 > 0:43:32and actually make sure that we can do all the steps correctly.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35Cos that was kind of like just, like, rushing through and, like,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38really just exploring what we can actually do with it.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42But then the next step is cleaning it up and making it look really,
0:43:42 > 0:43:44really, like, amazing for opening night
0:43:44 > 0:43:46so everybody really gets excited
0:43:46 > 0:43:48to see a new choreography by Sir Peter Wright,
0:43:48 > 0:43:52which is spectacular, to see him choreographing at this age.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55You know, it's an honour for us, really.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58Look! Ten past!
0:43:58 > 0:44:02With four casts needed over the run of 27 shows,
0:44:02 > 0:44:03it's now time for Mr Carr
0:44:03 > 0:44:08to teach the other boys the Chinese Dance's explosive moves.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Right, where's the first team? Where are you?
0:44:11 > 0:44:15One, two, and three, four. Over, down, over, down.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19Run, two, three, four, five, six, seven, stop.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22All right, OK. Not bad, actually. You'll get that.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24Yeah, it's a killer.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27It's hard, as well, trying something that was created on someone else
0:44:27 > 0:44:29for the first time, trying to put it onto your body.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33I've still kind of got to adapt slightly. Yeah.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36Let's show us. This is the originator.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40- MR CARR LAUGHS - Yes!
0:44:40 > 0:44:44- Yeah! - THEY LAUGH
0:44:44 > 0:44:46It's an incredibly hard number.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49That's what it's turned into being - really, really difficult.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53I hope Sir Peter Wright will be incredibly happy,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55else I have failed.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58MUSIC: Chinese Dance by Tchaikovsky
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Dressing the huge cast of The Nutcracker
0:46:02 > 0:46:06requires over 700 handmade costumes -
0:46:06 > 0:46:10an essential ingredient to bringing each character to life.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15All right, let's go. Come on. In your parts.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21With the dances learned,
0:46:21 > 0:46:25it's now dressing-up time for the White Lodgers.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34We're just preparing our hair to go into the rat hats
0:46:34 > 0:46:39because the rat hats are so big, we need to have our hair quite flat.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45- It looks pretty! - Mine looks a bit...- No.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48It really looks like a mouse.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50I think these are a bit big on me.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52- They make my shoulders look really big.- Yeah, same.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54Yeah, but then when you get moving...
0:46:56 > 0:46:58- The harness, though.- Yeah.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02- THEY GIGGLE - I can be like...
0:47:02 > 0:47:04This is so cool! I love this!
0:47:04 > 0:47:08- Do you feel like a gingerbread now? - ALL:- Yes.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12- It's a lot of things to put on. - SHE SIGHS
0:47:15 > 0:47:18The rabbit drummer mask is always an object of fascination.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20It's really heavy
0:47:20 > 0:47:22and my eyes only go to the fur,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25so I can't actually see in the holes.
0:47:25 > 0:47:30This year, Jarad and Rin have been chosen as the rabbit drummer.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34- Come on!- You're going to have a massive head on, as well.
0:47:34 > 0:47:39For both boys, this will be their last year dancing in The Nutcracker.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46- Last year, he decided to break his foot.- Yeah.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49I was running, and I just went like that
0:47:49 > 0:47:52and I fractured right here, this bone.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54And then they were like,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57"Rin, I'm sorry, I don't think you can do Nutcracker"
0:47:57 > 0:47:59cos, obviously, I fractured it.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02And I was just, like, crying and crying.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04Yeah, it's not fun.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07For both of them, this is a vital opportunity
0:48:07 > 0:48:11to test out the rabbit mask before going on stage.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15It's not a pleasant smell. It's quite hot.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Otherwise, it's quite fun cos you can, like,
0:48:18 > 0:48:20pull silly faces and nobody will know.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25It's quite exciting because you can't really see straight through,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27so you have to actually look a bit down.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29And I just need to make sure
0:48:29 > 0:48:32the head doesn't really fall off when I'm jumping.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35- Thank you very much. Now, have you got your label?- Yes.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38It's not just dressing-up time for the kids.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Every fairy needs a tutu,
0:48:40 > 0:48:44and today, Francesca is having hers tailor-made.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48It's her final step to becoming the Sugar Plum Fairy.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50Yeah, it just needs steaming down a little bit.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52It's really, really brand-new.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Every tutu is specific to the role,
0:48:54 > 0:48:56and until they get to do that role,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59they don't know how the tutu feels, the costume feels.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02And it's very important because it will affect their dance,
0:49:02 > 0:49:05so it has to be really custom-made
0:49:05 > 0:49:08for them to perform the role at their best.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12It's about as tight as I think it can go for now, guys.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15You need to understand...
0:49:15 > 0:49:17They're engineering rather than sewing.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21Yes, yes. It's a bit of a specific skill.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23But they're beautiful, and they look like big flowers.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26You know, there's this explosion of flowers when they're finished,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28and they're actually quite cheerful.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30It's one of the prettiest costumes to work on.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33The material will give, as well, once I sweat in it.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35It'll probably behave differently, which is a good thing.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38So, I need to sweat in it quite soon.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44- # Good morning - Good morning
0:49:44 > 0:49:46# We've talked the whole night through
0:49:46 > 0:49:50- # Good morning - Good morning to you... #
0:49:52 > 0:49:54With less than a week to go,
0:49:54 > 0:49:56it's time for the entire company to come together
0:49:56 > 0:49:58for the dress rehearsals.
0:50:00 > 0:50:05# When the band began to play the stars were shining bright
0:50:05 > 0:50:08# Now the milkman's on his way It's too late to say good night... #
0:50:08 > 0:50:10- If there's any changes, it will be in red.- OK.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14And so if you check that at the half each time, that would be great.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Thank you. It could quite easily just change.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19This is the moment the children, the snowflakes
0:50:19 > 0:50:23and the Sugar Plum Fairy will get to dance their parts on stage
0:50:23 > 0:50:24for the first time.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27Oh, it's getting ready for Christmas!
0:50:27 > 0:50:29Oh, that is just perfect.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33For many White Lodgers, a first visit to the Opera House
0:50:33 > 0:50:37means being within touching distance of their favourite stars.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40- WHISPERS:- Darcey Bussell! - GIRLS GIGGLE
0:50:40 > 0:50:43- Darcey Bussell.- She just came in.
0:50:47 > 0:50:48This is the dream,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51especially for the year sevens that have just come in.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55I mean, they've only been here, what, I suppose 10, 11 weeks.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57And to suddenly be here at the Opera House
0:50:57 > 0:51:00with the Royal Ballet company and it's Nutcracker -
0:51:00 > 0:51:02this is beyond excitement.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04You're going to have to be very, very alert.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Listen. That's the most important thing.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10You listen to two people in general, apart from our staff,
0:51:10 > 0:51:12and that's this lady here, and she's called Jo.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15She's the most important person on the stage. She's the stage manager.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17So, whatever she says goes.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22- How are you feeling? First time on? - Excited.- Excited?
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Yeah, good. That's great.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28First to rehearse onstage is the battle scene.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32I'm quite excited to play Rabbit Drummer today,
0:51:32 > 0:51:35and it's really exciting because I get to be on stage
0:51:35 > 0:51:39with the company, with the sets, the battle scene,
0:51:39 > 0:51:42gun explosions, and especially the hat.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46So it's quite nerve-racking, but I'll try to do my best.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50So, I just need to watch out for Mr Carr's voice a lot
0:51:50 > 0:51:53so I can take in his correction and do the best.
0:51:53 > 0:51:54He's quite scary.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Up! Up!
0:52:02 > 0:52:04And one!
0:52:04 > 0:52:05Anything could happen.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08This is the first time they'll have seen the trap door,
0:52:08 > 0:52:12the first time they'll have seen the rat king coming up through it.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14Does it close? Doesn't it close?
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Does the wheelchair come out of the right wing?
0:52:16 > 0:52:18How the tree might go up, it might not go up.
0:52:18 > 0:52:23It's very exciting. It's sort of lethally wonderful!
0:52:23 > 0:52:25And the kids come off and they're taking the masks off going,
0:52:25 > 0:52:27"It's so cool, Miss Keelan!
0:52:27 > 0:52:29"The rat king's tail got caught and we had to..."
0:52:29 > 0:52:31You know, anyway...
0:52:31 > 0:52:33I can't wait for it.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Yeah, yeah. We need adjustment with this boy's hat.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37It's horrendous.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39He carried on whatever, but he couldn't see a thing.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41It's right down here.
0:52:41 > 0:52:47Well done. Grab your food, B team, and go to the stairs, OK?
0:52:47 > 0:52:50The kids rehearsed, and only ten minutes left on the clock,
0:52:50 > 0:52:53it's time for the snowflakes to take to the stage.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56But there's a problem.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59Where are you? First chorus.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01There was a student stuck in the lift.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03- OK, right. Is she here now? - I don't know.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06No, they were still stuck in the lift about ten minutes ago.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09All the angels are stuck in a lift, and two of them are snowflakes.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11So, when we get to the second run,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14which we're about to do with the last ten minutes of rehearsal,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17we can't actually put them in cos they're in a lift.
0:53:17 > 0:53:18It's not their fault,
0:53:18 > 0:53:21but it's a shame they've missed their rehearsal.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Use your heads!
0:53:27 > 0:53:29By the time the angels are released from the lift,
0:53:29 > 0:53:31they have missed their only chance
0:53:31 > 0:53:34to get on stage before opening night.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36Basically, we went up to the sixth floor
0:53:36 > 0:53:39and, like, basically, we were stuck in the lift
0:53:39 > 0:53:43for, like, an hour and 15, and we missed the rehearsal.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47Nadia, too, has missed her last chance to rehearse
0:53:47 > 0:53:49before the paying audiences arrive.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53I won't get a chance on stage.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56But now I've got to go on on Tuesday, probably,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59in costume, in wigs, everything,
0:53:59 > 0:54:01and I'm not going to know where I'm going to be.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04But I'm going to try and just get a feel of it
0:54:04 > 0:54:07just by looking now and just see...
0:54:07 > 0:54:09I think these marks are the same as the studio,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12so I think I'm just going to look at these marks here
0:54:12 > 0:54:15cos I think the lights are quite confusing.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17It's so important to know where you're going,
0:54:17 > 0:54:19especially when you're at the front. For one of the bits,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21I'm right at the front and all the girls are behind me
0:54:21 > 0:54:22and have to line up with me,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24so I have to make sure that I'm in the right place.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Can we get the angel on the tree quicker?
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Is that glitter already?
0:54:29 > 0:54:30The following day,
0:54:30 > 0:54:34it's Francesca and Alexander's turn to rehearse on stage.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36That is a lot of glitter.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38For the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince,
0:54:38 > 0:54:41this will be the first time they dance in front of the company
0:54:41 > 0:54:43with a full orchestra.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46- OVER PA:- 'Calling, please, Mr Rose. We're calling Mr Rose.'
0:54:46 > 0:54:49- Halfway through my skull! - MAN LAUGHS
0:54:51 > 0:54:54You just have to embrace the glitter.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Tristan, I think, in the boy's dance,
0:54:56 > 0:54:57you're doing the wrong head.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01- Beautiful! Nice. - Can I just try it a tiny...?
0:55:01 > 0:55:04Like, the tiniest bit further back just to see? Just to get it...
0:55:04 > 0:55:06Are the Arabians around?
0:55:10 > 0:55:12I am nervous. There's always a bit of interest
0:55:12 > 0:55:15when there's a new couple doing a role for the first time.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18- OVER PA:- 'This is your call to sweep the snow.'
0:55:18 > 0:55:21You know, we'll find out a lot from this run.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24Five, hold six, and...seven,
0:55:24 > 0:55:27and we're down by eight, boys. You've got to put them down.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29- It's not going anywhere? - No, it won't go anywhere.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32I'm just going to tie this plait down so you can't feel it, OK?
0:55:32 > 0:55:35Cos this is a disaster, going across the front on the assemble.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38I won't be this stressed before the show. I just...
0:55:38 > 0:55:41I stress when I feel rushed, and I hate rehearsals for this reason.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45- Julia, were you not lit?- No.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47- Did you turn it on?- I didn't...
0:55:47 > 0:55:50Darling, there's a button. You just press it, yes?
0:55:50 > 0:55:52'Today is the last chance.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55'It's the last chance to see what's wrong with it,'
0:55:55 > 0:55:59to correct it, to make it perfect because I only do perfect.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01That is all I do, is perfect.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06She'll find it much more tiring than she did in the studio,
0:56:06 > 0:56:10and Alex, as well. They both will. It's killer.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13In a studio, you're working in front of a mirror.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17Here, it's just like a big, massive opening in front of you,
0:56:17 > 0:56:20so, very different. It's like going on blind.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24I mean, you know, it's like driving a car for the first time -
0:56:24 > 0:56:25horrendous.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29So, they need to use the time to actually get the feeling of it.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33MUSIC: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky
0:56:45 > 0:56:48The Sugar Plum solo is very, very long, actually, for the girl.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50It takes a lot out of you.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52I mean, it is enjoyable,
0:56:52 > 0:56:56but it really is like one massive marathon from start to finish.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02At the moment, cos, you know, I'm still building my stamina,
0:57:02 > 0:57:05I'm seeing stars and I feel like I'm swimming underwater.
0:57:05 > 0:57:09It's like an effort just to get on pointe at this moment.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17- APPLAUSE - Yes.- Nailed it.
0:57:22 > 0:57:23So hard!
0:57:33 > 0:57:36- SHE PANTS - Oh, my God. My leg.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44My right leg went numb during the end.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47Yeah, I just, like, couldn't actually feel that it was there.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51- I wasn't expecting it to be perfect.- No.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54And it definitely wasn't perfect for me.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57- No. Well, the things that look easy, they're actually difficult.- Yeah.
0:57:57 > 0:58:02They were very smooth, and I think that's what's nice when...
0:58:02 > 0:58:05That's when it looks its best. That's why we rehearse, though.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07- Yes.- That's why we practise, you know,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10so that even when you can't feel your leg...
0:58:10 > 0:58:11That's a scary thought!
0:58:11 > 0:58:15But, you know, one thing, as you stand,
0:58:15 > 0:58:18it triggers everything, so it should all fall into place.
0:58:18 > 0:58:19- Do you want an undo?- Yes, please.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22We've got a week before they do their first performance,
0:58:22 > 0:58:26and I want them to carry that feeling with them -
0:58:26 > 0:58:30the sound of the orchestra, not just the piano.
0:58:30 > 0:58:33And I think that will help us get the stamina
0:58:33 > 0:58:38for it not to be so, so difficult, so, so hard.
0:58:51 > 0:58:54It's debut day in Covent Garden.
0:58:56 > 0:58:58In just a few hours,
0:58:58 > 0:59:01the Opera House will be filled with 2,500 people.
0:59:11 > 0:59:14What a fabulous place. It's amazing.
0:59:16 > 0:59:19There's magic around.
0:59:22 > 0:59:25For the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince,
0:59:25 > 0:59:27the morning begins with a company class
0:59:27 > 0:59:30and one last rehearsal.
0:59:30 > 0:59:34'You know, this is her debut as a Sugar Plum, as a principle.
0:59:34 > 0:59:36- 'I'm looking after her, so...' - HE LAUGHS
0:59:36 > 0:59:39'..you don't want to do anything wrong.
0:59:39 > 0:59:40'It's just a lot of pressure.
0:59:40 > 0:59:43'You just have to trust your preparation at this point.
0:59:43 > 0:59:45'The last rehearsal, you sort of want to be
0:59:45 > 0:59:47'feeling positive about it,'
0:59:47 > 0:59:51and I think that happened today, so I think we're in a decent spot.
0:59:51 > 0:59:52Looking forward to it.
0:59:52 > 0:59:56Very nice, how you looked at her, or when you walked around.
0:59:56 > 0:59:57I think we're at a good point now,
0:59:57 > 0:59:59and the only way we're going to get any better
0:59:59 > 1:00:00is actually by being on stage.
1:00:02 > 1:00:04If I just go out there and
1:00:04 > 1:00:08literally take it one step at a time and just enjoy it
1:00:08 > 1:00:11and try and be the Sugar Plum Fairy, then I'll be happy.
1:00:11 > 1:00:14As long as I don't fall over. Touch wood.
1:00:14 > 1:00:19- You've worked so hard to get there. Now you've just got to get on.- Yeah.
1:00:19 > 1:00:24These talented people don't come every day through the door.
1:00:24 > 1:00:25It's a bit special.
1:00:25 > 1:00:28- I'm really very proud of you. - Thank you.
1:00:28 > 1:00:32That's a really special thing - to have your first Sugar Plum
1:00:32 > 1:00:34telling you that she's really proud of you.
1:00:35 > 1:00:37For Francesca's grandparents,
1:00:37 > 1:00:41it's the day they've been waiting for since she was a little girl.
1:00:41 > 1:00:44Say, "Good luck, Francesca."
1:00:44 > 1:00:46Francesca will be looking out for this cardigan
1:00:46 > 1:00:48because I wore it the very first time
1:00:48 > 1:00:53she was on the Royal Opera House stage in Sleeping Beauty.
1:00:53 > 1:00:56And that, she said, gave her a lot of comfort
1:00:56 > 1:01:00when she saw this particular jumper in the front row.
1:01:00 > 1:01:03So, that, I shall be wearing for act two.
1:01:03 > 1:01:07So, you know, there it is, going in my bag now.
1:01:07 > 1:01:10- SHE LAUGHS - Already! That's it.
1:01:11 > 1:01:15I'll probably be in tears, but I don't want her to see that.
1:01:15 > 1:01:20It's such an emotional moment, and the music's so emotional, too.
1:01:20 > 1:01:24If I weren't in tears, it would be rather sad, really.
1:01:24 > 1:01:28- Will you be crying, as well?- No. No. - DIANE LAUGHS
1:01:58 > 1:02:01We started this such a long time ago,
1:02:01 > 1:02:03and finally, we're on the stage,
1:02:03 > 1:02:05which is the journey that it's all about.
1:02:05 > 1:02:08We've fitted everything, we've got the costumes all right,
1:02:08 > 1:02:10the masks all fit, nothing's falling off.
1:02:10 > 1:02:13Even the trap door works, so it's very exciting.
1:02:13 > 1:02:14There's so many hats!
1:02:16 > 1:02:19I'm Jarad. I'm doing Rabbit Drummer today and Party Child.
1:02:19 > 1:02:21But I'm in Party Child at the moment
1:02:21 > 1:02:24cos I've got a quick change into Rabbit Drummer backstage,
1:02:24 > 1:02:27and it's a bit of a kerfuffle and everything's going on.
1:02:27 > 1:02:28It's quite hard to keep all the counts in my head
1:02:28 > 1:02:31cos there's so much going on in the battle scene. It's crazy.
1:02:31 > 1:02:34You've got rats coming on with cannons, loud gunshots,
1:02:34 > 1:02:37music which is all over the place.
1:02:37 > 1:02:40I'm sad for this season cos it's my last performance
1:02:40 > 1:02:42in year nine as a child in The Nutcracker.
1:02:42 > 1:02:45I just hope it goes well and nothing goes wrong.
1:02:54 > 1:02:59Student snowflake Nadia will also be making her debut in today's show.
1:02:59 > 1:03:01This will be her first time ever
1:03:01 > 1:03:06dancing in the corps de ballet of a professional company.
1:03:06 > 1:03:08I'm more excited, actually, than nervous.
1:03:08 > 1:03:11I just love the rush when you go on stage. Yeah.
1:03:11 > 1:03:14This is my first show, so I hope I remember it!
1:03:16 > 1:03:19My mum's watching, as well. She managed to get a last-minute ticket.
1:03:19 > 1:03:21There was, like, eight tickets left or something,
1:03:21 > 1:03:23and she managed to get one.
1:03:40 > 1:03:41- OVER PA:- 'Act one beginners to the stage, please.
1:03:41 > 1:03:44'Act one beginners to the stage. Thank you.'
1:03:44 > 1:03:46'Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,
1:03:46 > 1:03:49'and welcome to this performance of The Nutcracker.'
1:03:49 > 1:03:50'All staff and engineers,
1:03:50 > 1:03:52'this is your call for the transformation, please.
1:03:52 > 1:03:55'Staff and engineers, this is your call for the transformation.
1:03:55 > 1:03:56'Thank you.'
1:03:56 > 1:03:59The Nutcracker is a story of a magician's nephew
1:03:59 > 1:04:02who has been turned into a nutcracker doll,
1:04:02 > 1:04:05and who can only be freed after defeating the mouse king
1:04:05 > 1:04:07with the help of a young girl.
1:04:09 > 1:04:12In one of the ballet's most dramatic scenes,
1:04:12 > 1:04:15the magician transforms a family Christmas living room
1:04:15 > 1:04:17into a giant battlefield.
1:04:17 > 1:04:21MUSIC: Battle Of The Mouse King by Tchaikovsky
1:04:59 > 1:05:01SHE WHISPERS INAUDIBLY
1:05:06 > 1:05:09The scene is now set for the children of White Lodge,
1:05:09 > 1:05:12and an epic battle between the toy soldiers
1:05:12 > 1:05:15and the wicked mice led by the mouse king.
1:05:18 > 1:05:21It's time for the rabbit drummer to leap into action.
1:05:21 > 1:05:24MUSIC CONTINUES
1:05:46 > 1:05:49- GUNSHOT - Ooh! Every time!
1:06:26 > 1:06:30As the soldiers and mice battle it out on stage,
1:06:30 > 1:06:34Nadia joins her fellow snowflakes warming up in the wings.
1:06:35 > 1:06:36This is the dream.
1:06:36 > 1:06:39This is, you know, one of the most amazing stages in the world,
1:06:39 > 1:06:41and it's such an honour to be on it.
1:06:41 > 1:06:44And also, a lot of the time in rehearsal,
1:06:44 > 1:06:45if I don't know where to go,
1:06:45 > 1:06:47I would always know the girl that I had to follow,
1:06:47 > 1:06:50and, "This bit, well, I have to follow Izzy on that bit."
1:06:50 > 1:06:52Whereas now, everyone looks identical.
1:06:52 > 1:06:55We're all wearing blonde wigs. Everyone's wearing the same costume.
1:06:55 > 1:06:58MUSIC CONTINUES
1:07:40 > 1:07:42That performance of rabbit drummer was great.
1:07:42 > 1:07:45Yeah, it was a great run that time. It's my last Nutcracker.
1:07:45 > 1:07:48It's a bit disappointing, but at least I get a Christmas
1:07:48 > 1:07:51next year, in a way, so it's not all bad.
1:07:55 > 1:07:58The night might be over for Jarad,
1:07:58 > 1:08:00but for Nadia, her transformation into
1:08:00 > 1:08:02a snowflake is about to begin.
1:08:02 > 1:08:05MUSIC: The Waltz Of The Snowflakes by Tchaikovsky
1:10:11 > 1:10:15Stand by, tabs. And stand by to Scott.
1:10:46 > 1:10:51APPLAUSE
1:11:03 > 1:11:06That was unbelievable.
1:11:06 > 1:11:10My first time with a professional company on that incredible stage.
1:11:10 > 1:11:13I can't really explain now because I'm speechless.
1:11:13 > 1:11:16It was so magical, especially when the snow started falling.
1:11:16 > 1:11:18I was just, "How lucky am I?"
1:11:18 > 1:11:22It feels like everything I've kind of put my whole life towards,
1:11:22 > 1:11:26my whole childhood... You know, I've been sacrificing everything.
1:11:26 > 1:11:29It feels like this is kind of the kick-off now.
1:11:29 > 1:11:32Hopefully, my professional life will start next year, so...
1:11:37 > 1:11:39- OVER PA:- 'Ladies and gentlemen, this is your five-minute call
1:11:39 > 1:11:42'for act two. Five-minute call for act two.'
1:11:44 > 1:11:46The interval is nearly over,
1:11:46 > 1:11:49and for Francesca, it's the moment of truth.
1:11:52 > 1:11:54Having spent the past six weeks
1:11:54 > 1:11:57transforming herself into the Sugar Plum Fairy,
1:11:57 > 1:11:59she is about to realise her childhood dream.
1:12:00 > 1:12:04When I look back to watching ballet videos for the first time
1:12:04 > 1:12:06when I was so small,
1:12:06 > 1:12:10and these iconic ballet roles like Sugar Plum Fairy,
1:12:10 > 1:12:14it feels like that's what I was meant to do, I think.
1:12:14 > 1:12:17It feels really right to be here.
1:12:17 > 1:12:19I just need to stay really calm
1:12:19 > 1:12:22and not dwell on the fact that there's 2,000 people watching
1:12:22 > 1:12:26and any other thoughts. That's not going to help anyone.
1:12:33 > 1:12:34Hi! Sorry.
1:12:34 > 1:12:37- There she is.- I'm here. Haven't forgotten.
1:12:37 > 1:12:43Yeah, we've just had the final call for act two beginners,
1:12:43 > 1:12:46so just getting ready.
1:12:46 > 1:12:48Frankie's just arrived, so I'm excited,
1:12:48 > 1:12:49but a little nervous, obviously.
1:12:49 > 1:12:51I just really want it to go well for Frankie.
1:12:51 > 1:12:56MUSIC: The Magic Castle On The Mountain Of Sweets by Tchaikovsky
1:13:00 > 1:13:05It's act two, and we're in the Kingdom of the Sweets -
1:13:05 > 1:13:07the realm of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
1:13:38 > 1:13:41But as quickly as their night begins,
1:13:41 > 1:13:43Francesca and Alexander leave the stage
1:13:43 > 1:13:46to make way for a series of exotic dances.
1:13:48 > 1:13:50They now have a 20-minute wait
1:13:50 > 1:13:54before they're back on for the climax of the ballet.
1:13:54 > 1:13:59One of the hardest things about Sugar Plum is that wait
1:13:59 > 1:14:02between the introduction and the grand pas.
1:14:02 > 1:14:04It feels like an eternity.
1:14:04 > 1:14:07You're trying to stay warm, you're trying not to use too much energy,
1:14:07 > 1:14:08trying to keep your emotions in check.
1:14:08 > 1:14:10That's the biggest challenge, I think.
1:14:15 > 1:14:18One of the interludes is the new Chinese Dance
1:14:18 > 1:14:20with Marcelino and Luca.
1:14:20 > 1:14:23MUSIC: Chinese Dance by Tchaikovsky
1:15:14 > 1:15:17APPLAUSE
1:15:48 > 1:15:50When you go out on stage for the Sugar Plum,
1:15:50 > 1:15:55you know how many great people have danced it before you,
1:15:55 > 1:16:00and so those first six or eight steps are very daunting.
1:16:05 > 1:16:07There's a change in the atmosphere and you can feel it.
1:16:07 > 1:16:12You can feel that something's about to happen and everyone knows it.
1:16:12 > 1:16:16And as soon as the music starts, you have to channel the fear.
1:16:24 > 1:16:28MUSIC: Pas De Deux Intrada by Tchaikovsky
1:21:46 > 1:21:49CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:21:51 > 1:21:53With the pas de deux over,
1:21:53 > 1:21:57it's now time for one of the most iconic solos in ballet -
1:21:57 > 1:22:00the Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy.
1:22:00 > 1:22:03MUSIC: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky
1:24:32 > 1:24:36CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:25:01 > 1:25:03And now for the Prince's solo,
1:25:03 > 1:25:08before the Sugar Plum Fairy is back on for the dazzling finale.
1:25:08 > 1:25:12MUSIC: Coda by Tchaikovsky
1:26:29 > 1:26:31APPLAUSE
1:26:49 > 1:26:51Happy. Very happy.
1:26:52 > 1:26:54- It was worth it. - SHE LAUGHS
1:26:54 > 1:26:58APPLAUSE CONTINUES
1:27:13 > 1:27:15- You did it. Well done. - Thank you very much.
1:27:15 > 1:27:18- Oh, God.- Thank you. - Good. Really good.- Good.
1:27:18 > 1:27:20Congratulations. Really good. Really good.
1:27:20 > 1:27:23- Thank you for being my partner. - He looked after you, didn't he?
1:27:23 > 1:27:26- Thank you!- It was yummy.
1:27:26 > 1:27:28- You were an angel. - Thank you very much.
1:27:28 > 1:27:30Absolutely beautiful. Thank you.
1:27:30 > 1:27:32Thank you so much for everything. I really mean it.
1:27:32 > 1:27:35APPLAUSE
1:27:35 > 1:27:37CHEERING
1:27:49 > 1:27:51- SHE LAUGHS - Oh, congratulations.
1:27:51 > 1:27:53- Thank you very much. - Oh, you did beautifully.
1:27:53 > 1:27:55Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you.
1:27:55 > 1:27:59When I see good dancing like that, it's uplifting.
1:27:59 > 1:28:04The music and the way they danced - bliss.
1:28:04 > 1:28:06Are girls leading off, by the way? Girls lead off, yeah?
1:28:06 > 1:28:08Couples. Couples, shall we?
1:28:08 > 1:28:10- DIANA HAYWARD:- Well, I was in tears for most of it, so...
1:28:10 > 1:28:13I mean, it's just so amazing to think that
1:28:13 > 1:28:16she was trying to dance that at two years old,
1:28:16 > 1:28:17and now it's actually happened.
1:28:17 > 1:28:21- 22 years later, she's actually doing it.- Yeah, so...
1:28:21 > 1:28:25APPLAUSE
1:28:25 > 1:28:28And who told you fairy stories don't come true?