Author(s): John Plimmer

Biography & Memoir

The most enterprising and emotional true story ever written about the ballet industry. A young girl whose dream to be a ballet dancer is threatened merely by the colour of her skin in 1960's racist Britain. Yet by dedication and perseverance, she overcomes all manner of obstacles to eventually realise her ambitions, performing for the President and First Lady of the USA, Michael Jackson and with Luciano Pavarotti. Brickbats and Tutus is both inspirational and motivating; a true life story of adventure and adversity in which one individual accepts and overcomes the most daunting of challenges faced by any young person. 'The initial enthusiasm Julie had for the dancing lessons began to dwindle under the constant pressure of being isolated by the other children and some of the teachers. Although she was never told the reasons why she was made to feel so alone, and ignored when questioning anything she felt was important, the colour of her skin had to be a part of the equation. A sad and lonely period of her life followed and she began to feel trapped inside herself. Various emotions became bottled up inside the girl, a mixture of frustration, confusion, inhibition and many others were responsible for a sense of unhappiness and her failure to release those feelings, added to their increasing influence.' The further she travelled the globe, the more adventures she had - from living through the New York blackout of 1977 to experiencing Ku Klux Klan protests in Mississippi. But what was her proudest moment? 'Standing outside the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, where my mother had scrimped and saved to take me to a performance as a child.' The Voice News.