Friday, February 29, 2008

Pink Satin Ballet Slippers ~ Dancing "en Pointe"

When I was a little girl I was pretty much a tomboy. I liked to play in the dirt, run faster than the boys, and play baseball. Some of my idols were Philadelphia Phillies like Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt. I would listen to their games on my little clock radio til wee hours in the morning when there was a double header. I was afraid my Mother was going to hear it and holler at me to turn it off so I would bring it all the way up to my ear.





But somewhere in there, during that time, I found a love that I can't explain. A love for something that was so opposite of all the things I enjoyed doing. So GIRLY.





I have to say I must have always had the dancing bug in me...when I was five I "choreographed" my own dance to "Peter and the Wolf" and performed it in our living room for whoever would watch. But it wasn't until I was in the fifth grade did I decide that I wanted to take dance lessons.



It was the bling of it all really, I think. My Grandmother took me to a friend of the family's dance recital and I was star struck by all the fancy costumes and sequins. I resolved that next year I would be up there doing the same thing.





And I did. But it was hard. It wasn't as easy as I thought! Dancing HURT. And dancing could be fun. It was when I was actually in the recital when it all paid off. The THRILL of performing on stage. Like nothing I had ever experienced.



Which brings me to today's post. The picture above is of my beloved pink satin toe shoes. A rite of passage for all ballet dancers. A sign you have worked hard enough and long enough to dance "en pointe." I never felt more beautiful and more graceful than when I could put on my toe shoes and dance. A most wonderful experience I will never forget. . . getting to perform in the local Nutcracker suite in our hometown. Magical!!!



And I keep my toe shoes as a reminder of all the hard work, determination, and accomplishments.








For more posts like this check out Kelli's House... a ton more stories in blogland to read and enjoy!


16 comments:

Constance said...

Like you, I loved taking ballet! I studied for 10 years, I wish I had saved my pointe shoes! I emember the thrill of transitioning over, I remember thinking I was going to be floating on air! Then reality hit, that Lambs Wool doesn't pad as much as I was led to believe! Thanks for taking me back to my childhood!

I got bounced today, somehow I didn't quite fit into the guidelines. That's okay, my post stands as is.
Connie

nannykim said...

Nice show and tell--they are so pretty; you could design a room around those!

Hootin Anni said...

How precious!!!! To have them saved from childhood is great.

My SnT is posted. If you haven't dropped by, I sure hope you can!! Happy Friday.

j said...

Jillian I remember how I felt when I got my toe shoes ( as we would call them). This was a prescious post for me - Thank you! Jennifer

LBP said...

What a wonderful post! I have to laugh at myself though. I took tap and ballet and loved tap, ballet not so much. Finally my teacher told my mom she was wasting her money and put me in gymnastics which was a much better fit!

Blessings

Linda

cherished*vintage said...

Hi Jillian! I love your ballet slippers. Pink is the best! So can you still get on point? Is that the proper term? I know nothing about ballet.... Thanks for sharing - loved it!
-Karoline

A Tuneful of Sugar said...

You were and still are a BEAUTIFUL ballerina to me!
Love you-Sista Tuneful

Simply Stork said...

oh so pretty...I always wanted to do that...(now I sing instead)

~simply~

MJ said...

I've never danced en pointe but hope that I tend to keep on point, at least in thought!

I don't have my first dance shoes anymore but do have some of my old costumes. Who knows ~ maybe I'll post them someday?!

Julieann said...

OHHH, so precious. My daughter is in ballet right now, she is 6, and I am hoping she falls in love with the dance too:)

Julieann

Anonymous said...

How sweet! Just lovely!

oliver rain said...

Lovely show and tell. "Music Box Dancer" will always make me think of my daughter as it was her very first solo skate.

Natasha Burns said...

What a wonderful story! I love your ballet slippers, what a thrill for you to perform the Nutcracker!
So glad your goodies arrived and you love them!!!
Thanks for letting me know ~
have a lovely Sunday,
Natasha

violetlady said...

What a lovely post. Those ballet slippers are beautiful. I only had the little black ones because I didn't get en pointe. Thank you for sharing.

Kelli said...

What a wonderful story! The ballet slippers are a beautiful keepsake!
~Kelli

Amy said...

I have my dancing shoes too. I love the strong memories attached to them. It is so clear to me. I wish I could be THAT girl again!!!
Amy