Twinkle Toes

I was working diligently in my office / extra bedroom / junque repository,

 and spotted one of my favorite things

hanging on the bedpost

Pink toe shoes!

These were given to me by a dear friend.

 

She'd come across an old stash of them in storage;

  unfortunately most of them were water-damaged.

but she salvaged a few, added dainty embellishments
~ and I was the happy recipient of a pair.

While they are unique and loveable in their own right,

 the thing that makes them a favorite for me

 is what she wrote on the bottom.

"A gift so you can dance thru life"

Well...I'm tryin'

this post prompted me to go a-digging, and look what I found!

These are my sweet little ballet class slippers from C1956

 I took ballet lessons for a very short while

from renown ballerina Audry Share.

  An online article said

"Miss Share, immigrating to America from England, settled in Long Beach with her husband in 1956

 and for twenty five years owned and operated the very first

 Royal Academy ballet school in Southern California.

 During that quarter century the school served as training ground

 for such notables as Yoko Ichino and Bobby Burgess,

 not to mention a huge segment of the Long Beach population."

(that would be me)

I'm not sure why my ballet days were so short-lived, but they were memorable
and obviously I loved my little slippers.
  I remember keeping my leotard for a long time too. hmmm.

  I did, however, go on to have many ballroom dance lessons

 with none other than the aforementioned Bobby Burgess

 from Mickey Mouse Club fame.

  We all had a crush on him, and nearly melted into the floor
 when he asked us to dance.

In a melancholy moment, once upon a time,  I wrote this little poem ~

I have no daughter to give these to

to tell of giggles and leotards

of Audry Share and plies

A time remembered so fondly, clearly.

(sniffle)

Sheesh.  And on that happy note, I'll get off the stage.

Counting My Blessings

xo Susy
 

I"m linking up with
A Favorite Thing
 at Mockingbird Hill Cottage