Swan Lake & The Graduation Party

Avid readers of this blog will already know that I am a serious balletomane so it will come as no surprise that I was elated to have the opportunity to take my darling mother to see a recent performance of Ballet Theatre Queensland's Swan Lake Act II & The Graduation Party at Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC) after a delicious dinner at one of our long-time favourites, Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant & cheeky helping of gelato from Gelare for dessert. Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

Also, I'd like to say thank you so much to the lovely waiter at Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant who agreed to take some pictures of the two of us together to commemorate our mother/daughter evening out & did such a lovely job!

Caught mid-twirl among the sumptuous decor...

Rose Garden Delight Mocktail

A refreshing fruit shake made from pomegranate, pineapple, lime & apple juices with a hint of fragrant rosewater & fresh mint, shaken over ice & covered in rose petals

Braised Casserole

Braised Eggplant with Tomato, Charcoaled Zucchini & Lamb 

Served with Turkish Rice

Ali Nazik

Char-grilled Beef on Roasted Eggplant with Onion & Roasted Tomato

Covered with Spiced Yoghurt

Indulging in some gelato (organic strawberry for her, young coconut grove for me) from Gelare for a special treat...

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Dress: Anthea Crawford embroidered mesh, satin, tulle

Heels: Carvela by Kurt Geiger lurex

Bag: Review textured vinyl, faux pearl with gold hardware

Bangle: Megan Hess resin, gold, artwork

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Posing on our way to the performance wearing a ballet-inspired ensemble comprising of a stunning black, gold & silver art deco embroidered mesh A-line midi dress with black satin lining & tulle underlay from Aussie designer Anthea Crawford, gold/silver lurex peeptoe heels from Carvela by Kurt Geiger to provide a little nighttime shimmer while elongating my frame, a retro-inspired black textured vinyl handbag with faux off-white pearl handles & gold hardware from "girly" label Review & finally, a gorgeous, limited edition gold & resin bangle covered in one of Megan Hess' celebrated fashion illustrations (a thoughtful, heartfelt gift from my parents last Christmas) to complete the look.

A quick selfie as we waited for the show to begin...

Act II of Swan Lake took the audience to the shores of the mystical lake where Prince Siegfried declares his undying love for the beautiful Princess Odette, condemned by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart to be a swan for all but a few hours each night, accompanied by the transcendent waltzes of Tchiakovsky before The Graduation Party evoked a change of pace, transporting viewers to a Viennese Girls School graduation ball in the 1840s where the arrival of the city's military academy cadets resulted in high spirits, innocent flirtations... & a secret romance being uncovered... all set to the delightful, lively waltzes of Johann Strauss Jnr. Honestly, the entire evening was an absolute delight. Bravo, Ballet Theatre Queensland!