I was in the cast of Rhiannon’s The Legacy Project which was performed as part of the 2014 Resolution Festival at The Place. So when I heard that she was making a new work, I emailed her: ‘If you’re making a piece about your baby, you must need a nanna!’ This was a tongue in cheek reference to my Olympic Closing Ceremony Granny costume which I wore in The Legacy Project.
I sat back and waited, expecting a small cameo role in the work. However, it was a case of be careful what you wish for, as, much to my surprise, I became one of the main cast, onstage for the whole of Baby.
We began rehearsals at the end of last year in various studios – some of which were very cold. Watching myself in the mirror, as the oldest cast member I was aware of how restricted my movements were compared to Gracie-Jane and Grace, so I worked hard to improve my flexibility and lose a little weight so that I might blend in better.
Came the performance night in January at The Place, I was very nervous as I didn’t want to let Rhiannon and the others down. However, all went as well as it could despite me fluffing one small section. My son, who hadn’t really seen me dance before, said he was sooo proud of me. Other friends were also full of praise and said they had enjoyed the work.
So rehearsals began again for the Footprints Festival at Roehampton. Rhiannon has made some improvements but the biggest change is Molly joining the cast as Gracie-Jane is unfortunately injured. Molly has fitted in really well and is a worthy substitute. Gracie-Jane has come along to coach Molly, so happily we haven’t lost touch with her.
The nicest part of being involved with Baby has been watching Dylan (Rhiannon’s inspiration for the piece) develop and grow. He has a sunny disposition and we’ve all enjoyed playing with him, entertaining him and having ‘conversations’ with him. I think he’ll miss all his ‘aunties’ when this performance is over. We’ll miss him too!
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