It was fun. This was my first visit to a theatre. It was a bit scary when it was dark. I liked it when the ballet prince danced. I liked the blue ballet the best. The music was fantastic. They played the music which we did with Agnes in class.
Enitan Momoh, age 5

Today, I saw Apollo, Children of Adam and Theme &Variations.
I take ballet, but I could not have danced Terpsichore's role. She danced as if she was featherweight and never tired. I found the music difficult, but the dancing helped me to better understand it. Balanchine called Stravinsky's music "white on white," but I find it scratchy.
In Children of Adam, I recognized Sarah Lamb from the Boston Ballet.
I liked the very end of Theme & Variations most of all. The music sped and so did my heart. The conductor was tiny, but he handled the orchestra strongly.
My seat was number 65 and I was happy to see the stage properly. Children often cannot even when they sit on their coats.
There were lots of noisy children in the audience, but we were quiet and deserved an ice-cream at the interval. Mine was chocolate.
Sylvie Empson, age 5

On 29th of March we went to see three ballets at the Royal Opera  House. I had never been to the Royal Opera House before and my favourite one was the third one because it was fancy and sparkly. The second ballet was set in the woods. It was about Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous. Apollo's background was a bit plain. It was the first ballet. I knew the music because I had been listening to it at home. I was looking forward to seeing people wearing tutus. There were LOADS of dancers in the third ballet. I had also recognised the music in the third one too because we were singing it in class. The seats were good because we got a good view.
Conor Reynolds, age 6

On the 29th of March, I went to see the ballet at the Royal Opera House. There were three parts and two intervals.
The first part was called Apollo, the second Children of Adam, and the third Theme and Variations.
I liked the ballet a lot.
The music was different in all three parts - In the third part, at the beginning, we heard some music that we had learned in class.
Most of the actors/dancers were wearing different costumes with different colours. They performed different dances for the three parts. You have to practise quite a lot to perform that type of dance. Sometimes the dance was slow, and sometimes fast.
It is a pity my sister couldn't go to the ballet because she loves dancing especially ballet dancing.
Andre Renom, age 7

I went to the Royal Opera House in London on Thursday the 29th March 2007.
We went to see a ballet with 3 different stories. Each story was about something else and each of them had different music. The first story was about Apollo. Apollo was the god of the Arts by the ancient Greeks. The composer of the piece was Stravinsky. I liked Apollo because the Muses danced really nicely. The second story was about Children of Adam. This piece was full of action with lots of dancers but the story was sad. I liked Children of Adam because I liked the background. The third story's title was Theme and Variations. The composer of this piece was Tchaikovsky. The four dancers moved really nicely backwards and forwards. I liked the Theme and Variations because the curtains were beautifully arranged.
I really enjoyed coming to the Royal Opera House and I wish to come again soon.
Katalin Oldland, age 7

Thank you for organising this beautiful schools' matinee!
I liked it all but my favourite part was the last bit because Tchaikovsky's music, the dances and the shapes and colours of the dresses were very beautiful. The blue and silver colours blended together very well and the ballerinas' dances changed with the lights.
I liked less the Apollo ballet: it was a bit static for me and colourless.
Children of Adam was ok. I followed the story and understood it.
Thank you again,
Anna Medeossi, age 8

On March 29th I went to the Royal Opera House with my teacher Agnes to see three ballets - Apollo, Children of Adam and Theme and Variations. I liked Theme and Variations best because I liked their costumes and their dances.
Apollo was about a Greek sun god and the three Muses. Terpsichore was the Muse of Dance. Calliope was the Muse of poetry and Polyhymnia was the Muse of song. Apollo favoured Terpsichore because Apollo loved  dancing. It ends when Apollo takes the three Muses up to a mountain.
Children of Adam was about two brothers who fight over a girlfriend. Abel was the one with the girlfriend but Cain killed Abel because he was really jealous. I didn't like it much because I felt sorry for Cain.
Theme and Variations was my favourite ballet because it was sparkly and fancy. I like their costumes - I loved the tutus! I recognised a lot of it because we have been working on it for ages and I knew some of the variations because we have been listening to them at home. I really liked it because it was very posh and I would like to go again.
Lizzie Reynolds, 9

Initially I was slightly worried about the second ballet, Children of Adam, by choreographer Alastair Marriott to music by Christopher Rouse. In the event the choreography told the story clearly while the presentation was colourful and exciting. But I was shocked by a large number of children in the audience who cheered loudly during the few seconds of violence portrayed in the choreography. This reaction, around the time when several teenagers were shot by fellow teenagers in various parts of London, made me wonder: should there be violence in art? Should we use arts only to express beauty? Beauty was well represented in Apollo (Stravinsky, Balanchine) as well as in Theme and Variations (Tchaikovsky, Balanchine). The Royal Ballet gave us their regular top class cast, the orchestra was conducted (very well) by Royal Ballet chief conductor Barry Wordsworth. I believe that in music and arts  only the very best should be presented to children and this is exactly what the Royal Opera House is doing with their school matinees. Long may they continue!
Agnes Kory