“I haven’t stopped smiling.” Dame Monica Mason DBE

We had so much to celebrate:

  • Thirty-three finalists
  • The 90th birthday of Sir Peter Wright, CBE, a special friend of the school and chairman of the competition
  • The installation of the exceedingly beautiful Princess Margaret Honours Board by Linley
  • The launch of Sir Peter’s autobiography, Wrights and Wrongs, in which he mentions our school and the Princess Margaret evening as being “. . . just about my most favourite occasion of the year”
  • Then, as hidden away as possible, the completion of my own fifty years of teaching ballet at our wonderful school.

And so it was a very happy evening, and the competitors danced with love and joy, endearing the entire audience.

“No-one made a mistake!” exclaimed Dame Antoinette Sibley, DBE, a former parent, and without hesitation she agreed to give her name to the hall extension. We are thrilled to have a “real” ballet studio at last!

Count de Suarez d’Aulan said in his welcome, “Ballet is a way to express your soul, energy and life force. The skills required in ballet influence your daily life.”

Not all girls qualify for the competition, and not everyone can be a winner, but taking part with good grace and enthusiasm brings its own rewards. Sir Peter said, “I was impressed with you all for your musicality, discipline and enjoyment of what you are doing.”

Lady Sarah Chatto, this year’s Guest of Honour, said on her first visit back in 2002, “This is just the sort of occasion my mother would love.”

. . . and so, all is well, and on we go……….

The Princess Margaret Finalists were:

Infants

Eleanor Sims, Cindy Van Rooyen, Anastasia de Suarez d’Aulan, Lavinia Razmilovic, Nathalie Blakey, Ege Liplijn, Sophia Maddocks, My-Lan Nguyen, Cosima Razmilovic.

Juniors

Rania Ali-Svedsater, Anh Andreeto, Olivia Chryssicopoulos, Kate Hsu, Luisa Lafontaine, Elena Maddocks, My-Anh Nguyen, Margarita Pigorini, Nikki Sadat Khonsari, Giselle Samek, Sophia Browder, Alexandra de Suarez d’Aulan, Micaela Gortazar, Eva Vidyaeva, Sofia Lafontaine, Julia Phillips, Crinan Potter.

Seniors

Anna Cleary, Tatiana de Suarez d’Aulan, Lina Palm-Hattane, Lauren Carroll, Thalia Chetwood, Mina Polo, Tessa Teo.

The prizes were awarded as follows:

The Silver Rose Bowl to Luisa Lafontaine

The Lady Sarah Chatto Coronet to Cindy Van Rooyen

The Silver Salver to Margarita Pigorini

The Linley Fonteyn Bequest to Tessa Teo

The Sophie Le Roex Junior School Prize to Anh Andreeto

The Dame Antoinette Sibley DBE Senior School Prize to Lina Palm-Hattane

The Darcey Bussell Pointe Shoes (class award) to Year 4

Valerie Hitchen