Page 47 - She's One Crazy Lady!

studio so that it came away from the wall. And then came the ultimate act of vandalism when, playing football in the dance studio with a hard lump of plasticine, I mis-kicked it and it smashed the huge mirror on the wall! I was quite scared then as this was serious and knew I was in trouble. I felt bored, I was upset, frustrated and I was angry. I just had to get out and pleaded with Dad to move me to a ‘normal’ school, for not only was I unhappy, but I was also missing my friends and my love of learning academically.
I laugh about it now, especially whenever I watch the episode of the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ when Dawn French dances with ballet dancer supremo, Darcy Bussell, to ‘mirror’ her graceful movements to the music of ‘Invitation to the Dance’ written by Carl Maria von Weber. If you’ve not seen it, you must! It’s modelled on me – Tubby Hooper! Look it up on You Tube. I was Dawn French!!
Please don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy watching a good ballet production and have seen a few live ballets in London and on the television. I loved both the film and the live musical stage production of ‘Billy Elliot’. Both ended with Billy, as a mature and professional dancer, who was ridiculed in his adolescent years for wanting to dance, leaping out on stage, as the leading swan in Swan Lake. In the audience was his proud and tearful Dad, and Michael, his childhood friend. It was one of those ‘WOW’ moments and the athleticism and physique of the dancers always amazed me. Over the years, at Crazy Hats, we attended many dance-related fundraising shows and high-quality productions – thank you ‘Miss Barbara’ and ‘Miss Sharon’. Every time I watched the dancers perform, especially young children, my ‘wasted days’ at Pitt Draffen came back to haunt me.
Mum and Dad thankfully saved my sanity by moving me to St. Peter’s School in Kettering, even though I wanted to go to a state school. St. Peter’s was a very different kind of school, and, like Pitt Draffen, it was small and was private – my class size at any one time being only six! As a senior we were housed in a different building opposite the main school – Angus House – a renovated house, made into classrooms. It may not have been 100% on the academic side at the time, but I was happy again; the teachers were all lovely and we received a well-rounded education, and lots of sport – rounders, netball and tennis, my favourites. (No ballet!) We were fortunate to have Mrs Bean, a county tennis player and coach, as our games teacher and she helped and
“And then came the ultimate act of vandalism when, playing football in
the dance studio with a hard lump of plasticine, I mis-kicked it and it smashed the huge mirror on the wall!
”
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