The Week part 2...Illness and Ballet

Once again I have fallen ill or as they say here I'm poorly. I don't think I have ever been this sick this many times in such a short amount of time.  I was so sick and had such a bad fever I couldn't even move. I literally slept for 24 hours.  I got up once to try and shower and Belinda and Lauren took one look at me and said go back to bed.  I think belinda said something about the film of fever being on me.  Not sure it's all kind of a blur.  I was completely dead to the world unmoving once I went back to bed.
Once I finally rose out of the depths of my awful illness it was Thursday which was Belinda and I's much anticipated big night out together.  She was taking me to her old stomping ground...The Royal Opera House.  Just to refresh everyones memories Belinda danced in the Royal Ballet, which performs in the Royal Opera House, as her career from the time she was 18 to her early 30's.  She was the step below the Principal Dancer but danced many of the lead roles.  The Ballet that was being performed the night we were going there was one she had danced the lead in during her career.  We didn't have seats for the night but were just going to walk around back stage and sneak peaks where we could.
From the moment I walked in I was in awe.  We walked through the hallways to the stage and along the way I was introduced to numerous beautiful ballet dancers, the director of the Royal Ballet and the lead dancers who are probably the most famous ballet dancers in Europe at the moment.  All these people Belinda was hugging like family and I was being introduced to and chatting with like were we friends hundreds of people see as celebrities and probably have photos of them at home on their walls.
As luck would have it a couple of seats in the wings, which are seats on the stage along the openings where the dancers enter the stage from, became available so we were able to sit there.  What an experience.  The dancers were literally inches in front of us as they danced on to the stage to perform.  At one point a lovely ballerina sat down next to me and fixed her beautiful pink ballet shoe while her tutu flopped onto my lap.
During the intermission we shared a bottle of champagne with a few of her friends then watched the second half.

Belinda and I...Backstage Royal Opera House

The most phenomenal part was once the ballet was over and the audience was cleared  the stage manger opened up the curtains for me so I could walk out on stage and see the true grandeur of the Royal Opera House.  It was breathtaking. Standing on the stage looking out at this exquisite room I was speechless.  When I finally caught my breath I looked at Belinda and said " This was your stage..your job...your life!"  What an amazing thing!  I can't believe I got the opportunity to do that.  Very few people who aren't ballet dancers will get to see that view.  I feel so lucky.
I know sometimes the ballet community is said to be stuffy or pretentious but I would completely disagree.  Every person I met was so gracious and lovely.  They all are very much like a family that love each other, take care of each other and welcome in unconditionally anyone who is a friend of someone within the ballet community.
It was a beautiful, breathtaking evening that I will remember for a lifetime!