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Melanie Abbott

@melmtba

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Former BBC journalist based in the Surrey Hills. Enjoying embarking on a new chapter in life!

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Meet Jane and Mel, fun few lessons this week. Thanks for being up for a challenge. Today we finally got some fresh snow after a long spell of fine sunny days and hard pack pistes. Skiing in and out of cloud all day. Snow on the trees again and I’m happy.

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Our London ballet classes for the Cancer Community start again tomorrow, Monday 6th January.

Mondays 10.30-11.30 - Royal Academy of Dance,
Battersea.
Free class

Wednesdays 12.30-13.30 with lunch provided
afterwards.
Future Dreams House, Kings X
Supported by the National
Lottery Community Fund
Optional £3+ donation to
Future Dreams Charity

New class
Fridays 13.30-14.30 - Royal Academy of Dance,
Battersea
Free class

Mondays & Fridays are for people who have had any type of cancer diagnosis & Wednesdays are for people who have had a breast cancer diagnosis.

Do comment if you would like me to send you details on how to register or answer any questions.

The classes are suitable for complete beginners to experienced dancers & we gift you a pair of ballet shoes.

We have built a beautiful, loving & welcoming community unlike anything I have ever experienced before & I promise you will be well looked after if you come along 🧚‍♀️🩰

#cancercommunity

#cancersupportcommunity

#cancersupport

#cancerexercise

#cancerfitness

#danceheals

#dancetolive

#balletclass

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Weekend in lovely Surrey 🇬🇧
Better weather than Brussels 😂

#weekendvibes #surrey #green #ukcountryside #surreyhills

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If you have supported this campaign - and this very special place - today thank you so much.
.
If you haven’t please think about donating the cost of a coffee that you might have thought of buying on your way to work tomorrow- your donation will be doubled and lots of cups of coffee together make a big difference.

Reposting my earlier post below - any questions just ask:

Cancer was one of the worst ways to meet some of the best people I now have the privilege to call friends. I met many of them at Future Dreams House - and I’m grateful for the love and support, the advice and community it has given and continues to bring into my life. Cancerland can be a lonely frightening place - and on my hard dark days Future Dreams held me up and continues to do so.

This weekend @futuredreamscharity is raising money through its Let’s Nail Breast Cancer campaign so that nobody has to go through breast cancer alone. I am raising money with my Future Dreams Book Club and together we hope we can make a difference and help more people in the future.

If you feel you can please donate. I know I’ve asked people to donate to Future Dreams before so just cost of a cup of coffee or a paperback book (for our book club) really will help.

Link to donate is in my bio

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Let’s finish our Christmas ballet class with a Port de Bras (say bra as in the underwear!) in the centre to this beautiful Christmas Lullaby.

Port de bras means “Carriage of the arms.”

This is one I made for our Festive Fireflies & they danced it so gracefully & thoughtfully they brought me close to tears.

Think about the head & arm connection. Your focus & eyeline is everything.

Ballet is all about storytelling & my goodness have we got some stories to tell.

It’s a beautiful way to express yours.

Please save & share & dance your glorious hearts out to it.

Enjoy those bright balancés which have become our Fireflies signature move 🧚‍♀️

A big thank you to Christopher Hobson for his delightful ballet class piano arrangements.

🎼♥️🎶

#balletclass #balletlove #graceandstrength #firefliesballet #balletmusic #danceforlife #dancewithme #balletbasics #beginnerballet

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Yum, yum, yummy Battement Fondus!

Think sticky, melted cheese. Tasty, tacky toffee!

Both legs bend together & both legs unfold together, engaged & resisting as they go.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Please save & practice with your pliés, tendus & frappés!

Ballet love 🩷🩰🧚‍♀️

#balletworkout #balletbarre #beginnerballet #balletbasics #balletlove #itsbeginningtolookalotlikechristmas

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Let’s prepare to Jump for Christmas joy!

Important to get that initial plié (bend the knees) on the intro in preparation for the rise.

Please save & practice with your pliés, tendus, frappés & fondus!
And make sure you add the final bit of eye choreography for this exercise too!

This one is great for strengthening our bones so don’t worry if you feel like you’re not “landing” lightly enough. Good to have a bit of impact with the ground.

Jolly jumping prep all! 🎄✨

#balletbarre #balletbasics #beginnerballet #balletteacher #loveballet #jumppreparation

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December may soon be drawing to a close, but Christmas is never-ending for our brilliant team of chefs who spend 18-24 months planning our festive ranges🎄

Will Torrent, one of our Senior Development Chefs, spoke with Melanie Abbott on BBC Radio 4 You and Yours about how the team develops delicious products each Christmas.
From using AI to teams visiting foodie hotspots across London, Milan and Paris for inspiration, the team focuses on familiar and traditional products and flavours that bring a sense of nostalgia to our customers, whilst also trying to sprinkle in exciting innovation and new flavours to our range of products.

#ChristmasAtWaitrose #TimeForTheGoodStuff

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Here are some festive Battement Tendus for you to practice at home.

Save & practice after your pilés 🧚‍♀️⚡️

#balletexercise #balletinspiration #battementtendu #balletbarre #balletbasics #christmasballet #danceathome #firefliesballet

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Here’s a festive plié for you to try at home 🧚‍♀️

A plié (said plee-ay)is a bend & stretch in ballet.

We are doing this one with our feet in first and second position.

Please save this to go along with more exercises that are to follow.

Enjoy 🧚🏾‍♀️

#balletbarre #balletbasics #beginnnerballet #balletforeveryone #balletteacher

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SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO TRY.
I meant to save this on the grid after I finished trekking 21km to raise money for @futuredreamscharity last month. But life and the world meant I just didn’t. So putting it here as a reminder to try. A reminder that we are stronger than we think, that we hold each other up and that sometimes you just need to see if you can do things that seem hard.
.
The trek has raised over £47k now and I’m v proud of that. Link to donate is in my bio.

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We’ve been doing parkrun, eating more plant based calcium, protecting our bones with prunes, hiking the South Downs, supporting Future Dreams and Shine, planning the London Winter Run, all while weight training after a breast cancer diagnosis. This week’s wisdom from the #bigstronglasses

Calcium foods poster is credited to @kansasvegan 🙏

#parkrun #loveparkrun #futuredreamshouse #londonwinterrun #plantbased #menopause #breastcancer #shinecancersupport @futuredreamscharity @shinecancersupport

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