The Queen of Hearts is a fictional character from Lewis Carroll’s children’s story ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

The ballet ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ was created by Christopher Wheeldon with scenario by Nicholas Wright and music by Joby Talbot. Its world premiere took place in 2011 by the Royal Ballet.

The Queen of Hearts is portrayed as grumpy, shorttempered, mean, and often tells people she is going to have their heads chopped off. It’s rumored the character was based on Queen Victoria who was known to be shorttempered.

REINVENTING THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

I decided to reinvent the Queen of Hearts as the ‘Queen of Tarts’ after the nursery rhyme, ‘The Queen of Hearts’ which opens with ‘The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts.’

Our Queen of Tarts is kind, generous and shares her vegan tarts with everyone.

Making pastries and cakes with animal products is cruel. Cows’ milk and butter is produced by keeping cows continually pregnant and killing male calves because they don’t produce milk. The calf is also taken away from the mother who becomes very distressed when that happens.

Stories, rhymes, and art must reflect human moral development. Ballet itself can produce beautiful works by using vegan ballet shoes, costumes, and scenery, making a kinder world.

HEALTH AND FITNESS FOR ALL AGES

I recorded the ballet piece for my 68th birthday. I am Tracie O’Keefe, a naturopath, medical nutritionist, mental health professional and retired dancer who is dedicated to extreme health, fitness and wellbeing. Each week I spend between 10 to 14 hours at the gym and dance studio and I have been vegan for 27 years.

At Christmas I make vegan cookies, cakes and tarts for a choir my wife belongs to. Each year they sing in public by the tree at Martin Place in central Sydney. Everyone says how delicious they are and how much they enjoy them.

My entire life I have loved to dance. I retired professionally 35 years ago and changed to natural medicine, hypnotherapy and clinical psychotherapy. Nowadays I combine my love for dance with socially responsible interpretation of popular themes.

In this piece The Queen of Tarts is tasting her tarts and encouraging other people to try them.

So, try vegan pastries and tarts and enjoy and share the taste of kindness.

LOCATION, MUSIC AND COSTUME

This piece was recorded on the new concourse at Central Station in Sydney, which had just opened, with the kind permission of the staff. It is a subterranean addition to an existing major railway station and is a phenomenal piece of engineering.

Choreography: Tracie O’Keefe
Costume design and construction (vegan): Tracie O’Keefe
Pointe shoes: Grishko Nova (vegan)
Selection of tarts (vegan)

IMPORTANT NOTE RE MUSIC:

Handel’s ‘Entrance of Queen of Sheba’ is a royaltyfree track provided by Audio Jungle which we paid for, for this purpose. It may not be copied or used or remixed in any way by any other party.

Music at the beginning is ‘Majestic Brass Fanfare Indent’, a royaltyfree track provided by Audio Jungle which we paid for, for this purpose. It may not be copied or used or remixed in any way by any other party.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TRACIE’S O’KEEFE HYPNOTHERAPY, NATUROPATHY AND NUTRITION PRACTICE:

https://tracieokeefe.com/
https://healtheducationcentre.com/
https://www.doctorok.com/

Watch the film Cowspiracy: https://www.cowspiracy.com/