The unjustly neglected French composer Albert Roussel wrote his ballet Le Festin de L’Arraignée in 1913 and its story of the struggle for life in an insect-filled garden always delighted me.

Another of my pieces for young people this one used students from right across the whole Royal Ballet School with the graduating year taking on the challenging principal roles, right down to an army of ants danced by eleven year old boys! The ballet also features a Praying Mantis, three Wasps, Caterpillars, a short sighted Mayfly and the eponymous Spider, whose attempts to provide himself with the scantiest of meals, let alone a feast, are continually thwarted.

A revised version with new designs for professional dancers, alongside children, will take place soon in the U.S.