Tea at Trianon: Audrey Hepburn and Ballet

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Audrey Hepburn and Ballet

From Verily:

Audrey Hepburn began learning classical ballet when she was only 5 years old. Sadly, Ballet Rambert, a London-based dance school that Hepburn attended on a scholarship, determined that her height and malnourished constitution from the hardships her family faced during WWII would make it impossible for her to attain the status of prima ballerina. But Hepburn used her dance background to audition for her American musical debut, Funny Face, where she showcased her talent with Fred Astaire.

Today, real ballet school for adults is making our ballerina dreams come true. And it isn't just benefitting our bodies; it can also do wonders for your mind and spirit. Apart from channeling your inner Audrey, here are all the reasons why you should consider taking ballet to keep you on your toes. (Read more.)