One of the forgotten treasures I found was a Freeds bag full of my old used pointe shoes! My first thought, was how disgusting they are... worn, dirty and some still covered with make-up on from various performances. Small ones from when I was little, flat ones, soft pointe shoes with the backs ripped out for day to day rehearsals and ballet classes and the last pair of pointe shoes I ever wore which was for my final performance in Swan Lake (my first and last ballet). I couldn't resist, I had to try one pair on regardless of the consequences...They still fitted but they were so incredibly uncomfortable! I wondered how I could have spent my life in them many years ago. I went to the mirror and painfully forced my way back up onto pointe and yes, I could still do it! I guess it's like riding a bike, you never forget.
For years I blocked out this part of my life in fear that if I faced it, it would bring up painful memories and unwanted emotions but now, I feel so proud of my past and realize it's such a huge part of me, as a musician and as a performer today. I have so much amazing memorabilia, from books I was in to videos of me dancing, photographs, newspaper articles I was in and records of all my performances. These are very special treasures that will live on in my family after I am gone.
Even though this bag of history takes up a lot of space in my draw, there are somethings you should never throw away...
♥ Anna-Christina