Queen jokes dancers ‘showed her up’ during visit to the English National Ballet

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The Queen joked about her ballet skills and that she had been “showed up” by dancers, during a visit to the English National Ballet (ENB).

Camilla smiled as she watched dancers rehearse for their upcoming production of the Nutcracker during the visit to the company’s Mulryan Centre for Dance in east London on Thursday.

The Queen wore a light blue long-sleeved dress with a gold ballerina brooch and spoke about her love of dance throughout the visit with performers, tutors and the company’s directors.

“I’ve got my tap shoes, and so I’m happy,” she remarked while watching one of the practices.

In a short speech to the company and staff members, Camilla said she was “proud” to have been named royal patron of the ENB earlier this year.

She said:  “I love ballet, in every form I love dance, so actually to be patron of this ballet – I’m patron of ballet schools, I do a bit of Silver Swans myself.

“The ladies today have rather showed me up.

“But, I do love it but it’s actually very exciting now to be able to say I am actually patron of a proper ballet.”

Silver Swans is a Royal Academy of Dance initiative targeted at older people to help improve mobility, posture and co-ordination.

The Queen applauded after watching the ENBElders, the company’s performance group for over-55s, dance to Habenera from Bizet’s opera Carmen while accompanied by a pianist in a mirrored rehearsal room.

Afterwards Camilla spoke to individual members of the nine-person group about the mental and physical benefits of ballet and joked that the only male dancer, Stephen Goldstone, 66, was a “very brave man”.

Mr Goldstone, from London, told the Queen that the other male Elders’ member was on holiday, to which she said: “So they’ve left you with all the ladies.”

After the visit Mr Goldstone said he originally thought he was “too old” for ballet before “stumbling upon” the ENB Elders company online.

The dancer said someone told him he had “good technique” the first time he tried ballet at a workshop and has now been dancing with the company for a year.

Another Elders’ member, Barbara Ingram, 72, also from London, said rehearsing with the group was the “highlight of her week” and that she enjoyed the social side as well as the physical benefits.

The Queen also visited the costume department, where she admired some of the 700 outfits being constructed for the Nutcracker, including silver embroidered tutus and bodices.

Before she left, Camilla cut a pink and cream, vanilla and white chocolate flavoured cake celebrating the 75th anniversary of the EB and smiled as she posed for a group photo with the company.