SILVER swans from across the area are flocking to London for a big performance.
Ten dancers, who all attend Silver Swan ballet classes for over 55s in Warwickshire and Worcestershire, will be performing at the Royal Academy of Dance on November 1.
The group are one of 12 groups who have been selected to perform in a Silver Swan Celebration at the organisation’s headquarters in Battersea.
They will be performing to a piece of music which has a special connection to one of their Silver Swans class mates. The music, entitled Farewell to Budapest, was originally composed by Stephen de Bastion, whose daughter Julie attends Silver Swans ballet classes in Henley.
A pianist working in Hungary in the 1930s, his music career was cut short by the Second World War when he was sent to a concentration camp. One of just eight survivors, he moved to Stratford after the war, where he raised his family. His music has recently been remastered by his granddaughter, Roxanne de Bastion and published alongside a book about his life.
Helena Mitchell, who has choreographed the ballet piece, said: “When Julie shared Roxanne’s remastered recordings with me I loved the music and the RAD Silver Swans Celebration has given us the perfect opportunity to use it in performance and tell Stephen’s story.”
The Silver Swans celebration will bring together dancers, practitioners and teachers from around the globe for a series of fun, insightful practical workshops and talks.
The second day will also see live performances celebrating all things dance along with the benefits it can bring to ageing and physical and mental wellbeing.
There are 1,600 trained Silver Swans Licensees across the world delivering weekly Silver Swans classes within their local communities.