The Way I Was: Smitten by a magical Margot: Fiona Chadwick tells Nicholas Roe of her first experience of a 'proper ballet'

Fiona Chadwick is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet.

I STARTED dancing when I was three. My mother took to me a dance class where there was a teacher she had known as a child in Preston, and I went once a week at first, then later twice a week. I always enjoyed messing around with music, even from being tiny in the garden - my mother has films of me. I used to put my tape-recorder on and prance around the lawn; but at that age it's just something to do with music, really, more than dance. In fact, in those days I wanted to be a trapeze artist in a circus]

Then, when I was six - not long after this photograph was taken - I was taken to my first ballet. It was Sleeping Beauty at Manchester Opera House and we saw Rudolf and Margot dancing and I remember it to this day.

My parents took me, and it was my first proper outing to the ballet - I'd seen little bits before this, but nothing as professional. I was all dressed up and well-

behaved. I loved it.

I can remember going in and my mother and I missed a sign at the door, but my father came running up and said: 'I've got a terrible disappointment,' and I was sure that Margot wasn't dancing. Then he said, 'I'm afraid David Wall has been injured. Rudolf has replaced him.'

I remember Margot's first entrance and thinking how wonderful she looked. Her face and eyes were magical . . . oh yes, it was a dream because right from the word go I wanted to be the one in the middle with all the beautiful dresses. It was something to look up to and remember.

This was the first time I'd really seen what it was all about, and even though I couldn't understand that much about it I had an insight into what to aim for. I remember going to the stage door afterwards with this little photograph I'd brought with me, and they took it in and when it came out again she'd signed it. I've still got the picture.

But I think it was on my first day at ballet school that I realised exactly how much I wanted to be a dancer - when I was 11 and went away to the Royal Ballet boarding school.

Obviously I wanted to before that, but at nine or ten how can you possibly know what you want to be when you're 20? You think you do, and at that age I was quite ambitious, but it was still just wanting to be the one in the middle in the pretty costumes. I didn't have any concept of what it really involved.

Then I went away, and I didn't get homesick because I was suddenly surrounded by lots of other people who liked the same things that I did. It was wonderful and I loved it. I felt that I was where I wanted to be, and it was a great honour to be there. I think it's in you, I really do. And if it is you can't stop it, it would be stupid to try and cut it out.

Since then, most of the time things have been wonderful. I think if I'd realised then where I was going to end up I would never have believed it.

The part of town I lived in was quite a close-knit community. Nobody had ever gone away to ballet school from there. I had a lot of friends and so did my parents - a lot of them still come down to see me dance now, which is nice. They're really proud of me. When I go home I'm quite the local hero . . .

(Photograph omitted)