Wednesday 2 January 2013

Ninth Day of Christmas


I wanted to be a ballerina, doesn't every little girl who sees "The Red Shoes"? My first efforts at ballet were cut short by my crippling stage fright and refusal to be a sunflower, or bumble-bee, or whatever five year olds are.

My next foray was when a friend and I, in our mid-teens, decided to take up ballet. I don't recollect either of us showed great aptitude for it. We also tried our hand at tap; the first class with a bunch of five year olds, subsequent classes on the half landing of a staircase from one of the girls in our ballet class. I can still remember "shuffle, step, change, step, hop, step, ball-change". This didn't last long either. I don't really have any rhythm - odd for someone who studied music seriously and played percussion in the senior orchestra. Mind you I was sacked from that job when they found somebody who could do a drum-roll and didn't fall asleep in the 48 bars rest!

The shoes lasted longest. I used the ballet shoes as slippers for many years, and the tap shoes (with the taps taken off) were excellent party shoes until I broke a heel!

Ballet shoes as slippers, my Uni days
Off to a party in my tap shoes

I always wanted to be able to dance 'ballroom' style. My parents were excellent dancers, I never really got the chance to find out... I have enough trouble walking these days!