I can hardly believe I'm going to be embarking on my first proper pointe class this week. This is incredibly exciting for me as it really represents a massive step forward in my ballet. Whilst I do ocassionally do class en pointe, a class dedicated to it entirely is something else altogether.
In preparation we had to darn our pointe shoes, since the floors of the studio as tres slidey. I felt strangely honoured that I was finally at a stage where I was to do this age old and, it has to said, slightly obsolete, art. Passing my first exam was one of the most heart felt sense of achievements I've had for a very, very long time - literally fulfilling a childhood dream - but somehow darning my pointe shoes in preparation for taking the next, monumentous step, felt even more symbolic. Especially as I was told when I first began, in no uncertain terms, that as an adult dancer I'd never go en pointe. I'm pleased to prove that wrong.
The reality of darning the shoes however, is somewhat different to my romantic notion. It's bloody hard! My fingers still hurt from trying to push a darning needle and embroidery thread through a material pulled so hard over it's foundation, it simply doesn't want a needle to go!
Whilst the darning is primarily designed to stop us sliding and protect our shoes from the resin we will need to use, I opted to darn mine around the edges only. This method helps for balance, and I think it looks really lovely too.
This all means I found an excuse to take lots of photos of pretty pointe shoes in various locations around The Duchess' house...
I started darning a couple of other pairs, in order to give me a choice of shoes for class. Here are my babies all in a row...
Queen Michelle
