Another of those moments when I’m so glad that I’ve held onto certain things; so happy to have a stack of annuals from the 1970s/80s close at hand, picked up for pennies in my teenage/early twenties years.
I’ve spent the afternoon thumbing through them, thinking about the week ahead and the inspiration behind the working title for ‘I Always Wanted To Be …’
From the personal to the political, there’s so much of interest to read, still – tales of a defining British class system and a sense that it was only the privileged who could make it as a ballerina. I recall so many of the stories depicting ballet stars arriving in chauffeured cars, accompanied by wealthy parents – haughty mothers, dressed in fur, fathers in suit and tie and hat.
And yet, despite knowing that I was never going to fit in or indeed, ‘make it’ in a dance world, there was plenty to draw me in and encourage me to dream. Judy and Princess annuals, nearly always found amidst my presents on Christmas mornings throughout my childhood, fed into my fantasy – stories about young fictional characters who against all odds, went on to be ballet stars.
I have more to write about, but it’s the end of a lazy sunny afternoon and I have other things to get on with. I spent a good part of Friday in the studio with my photographer friend, John who had kindly agreed to take some images of the music boxes. It felt good to start the process of unpacking and examining them in preparation for the start of filming next Friday, 19th. There are inevitable signs of wear and tear – hardly surprising considering some of them have been around since the ’60/70s, possibly even earlier. And if my own experience is anything to go by, music boxes like these were often played with, and frequently heavily handled. But more about that in due course …
