Delia Mathews of Birmingham Royal Ballet
•Posted on August 18 2018
@deliamathews by Andrew Ross
Hi everyone! I'm Delia Mathews and I'm a Principal with Birmingham Royal Ballet. I'm going to give you a little insight into what a day in my life at BRB is like.
My morning's always start with coffee and porridge! I have to admit that I'm not a great morning person so I like to have time to chill with my breakfast, watch some tv and wake up properly. 
This is my quick foot warm up that I do every morning before class and again before every show. Even if I'm running late and don't have time for the rest of my warm up this is the one thing I always have to do! 
Our classes at Birmingham Royal Ballet last for an hour and fifteen minutes and are taught by one of our four ballet staff. My favourite part of class is grand allegro
PC: tzuchaochou
We have brilliant facilities in The Jerwood Centre which is attached to BRB where we can have Physio and work out. 
The Jerwood Center
For lunch today I popped out to one of my favourite cafes in Birmingham, @quarterhorsecoffee 
At the moment we are rehearsing two different triple bills. We can rehearse around 8 different ballets at a time, depending on our performance schedule. Shown here is one of the pieces we're working on at the moment called "Arcadia", a new piece by one of my fellow company members, Ruth Brill.
PC: Ty Singleton @dancers_eye 
Here I am in our costume department trying on an early design of a dress for my character "Echo" in Arcadia. It's always exciting doing new pieces. We are lucky here at BRB that we have a very varied repertoire, I like being able to do one of the classics one week then a newer, more modern work the next. 
This is our shoe room where our shoe supervisor Michael Clifford makes sure we have an ongoing supply of shoes. 
I wear Bloch Serenade pointe shoes. I prepare them by sewing ribbons and crossed elastics on, cutting off the slippery satin on the block of the shoe, using a Stanley knife to cut a crosshatch pattern on the sole to give more grip, then I cut out three quarters of just the leather insole to stop it rolling up, shellac to make them last longer and then use a hammer to make them quieter and more durable. My grandma made me this sewing kit which I love. 
Our typical rehearsal day runs from 10.30am-6.30pm. I really enjoy cooking and at the end of a long day I find it helps me relax and unwind. This is one of my favourite quick and easy recipes at the moment!
Thai style soup:
Blend together ginger, garlic, chilli, lemongrass and fresh coriander stalks with a bit of oil.
Fry in a pan then add a tin of coconut milk and the same amount of vegetable stock.
Simmer then add anything you like! I like to use lots of vegetables and some fish then serve over rice or noodles. Easy and very tasty!
I hope you've enjoyed reading about my day!
Comments
3 Comments
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Posted by Bridget | November 12, 2018
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Posted by Dana | August 26, 2018
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Posted by Dana | August 26, 2018
Leave a CommentAppreciated the opportunity to share the day with you – a special glimpse of what happens backstage. Thank you!
Loved it!! Delia you are beautiful :)
Great post! Delia you are beautiful:)