Have you ever fantasized about wearing shiny, pink ballet shoes, dancing on your toes as you twirl across a stage and hearing the audience applaud as you gracefully take a bow?
I remember seeing the movie, "The Red Shoes," when I was young and being taken to see "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker," over and over, always amazed at the ballerinas' en pointe.
This past summer I painted these pink ballerina shoes for our niece for her high school graduation in May 2012.
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Pam Hannah painted these pink ballerina shoes for her niece for her high school graduation in May 2012.
I decided to have giclee copies made for the recent art show here on Boca Grande, thinking there would be several grandmas needing Christmas gifts for their little ballerinas, and indeed, there were some.
One lady bought one for each of her family because they had enjoyed seeing the Nutcracker together several years ago.
Our niece has been dancing since she was 4 years old and has danced in the Nutcracker for many years. She has been a Sugar Plum, Snow Flake, Flower, Snow Princess and, most recently, an Arabian Princess.
Our "princess" underwent hip surgery in November and will not be dancing the Nutcracker for the first time in more than 10 years. Her goal is to return to dance as she begins her college career next September - whether it will be in her pink toes is unknown - but I know she will dance again in one form or another.
Watching her over the years has been a pure delight and allowed me to live out my own fantasy of dancing "en pointe."
