Not Sweating the Small Stuff

A Post For Everyone?

This dance footage is so charming - in that gentle way of old-fashioned English children's storybooks - that I've found it impossible not to post and share it!

As you may well know, Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) ...

Beatrix Potter's House 'The Lakes', Sawrey, Hilltop, Lake District

The Lakes District, in North West England

... self-published 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' in 1901, producing both the text and illustrations.

This was followed by F. Warne & Co publishing 'The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin' in 1903.

And so on ... and so on .

In 1971, 'The Tales of Beatrix Potter' were choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton for the Royal Ballet. And, as you'd expect, it's constructed of vignettes involving many of the characters that appear in the books, such as ...

Peter Rabbit

Mr. Jeremy Fisher

Mrs Tittlemouse

By far my most favourite characters are the two naughty rodents in 'The Tale of Two Bad Mice' (1904) - maybe it's their very naughtiness I like best. In fact I'm sure that's it!

After arriving at the house ...



... our little friends do some reasonably conventional dancing round the living room ...


... which I do this myself, even these days, so it must be normal, yes?


Spotting the table set with food ...


... the Mouses naturally tuck in ...



It is then that the particular mayhem of this Tale seems to emerge - stimulated perhaps by some rather unconventional table manners ...


Ms Mouse seems initially unmoved by hubby's behaviour ...


... but after knocking the meal onto the floor ...


... she immediately understood the degree of fun that could be extracted from semi-orchestrated chaos, and happily began putting some of her own ideas into practice ...


... ideas appreciated by Mr M ...


As it does, plate smashing quickly turns to sword fighting with fire-irons ...


... which leads - as night does day - to broken plate pulverising ...


Such joys, of course, can only be concluded by table dancing, using remaining plates as castanets ...


But there's more ...

Totally captivating ... and the music so well realises the narrative.

A delight if ever there was one!