Pink Stockings

This is a revised reposting of an article from The Twinkletoes Files… I had a laugh reading it and remembering...

 

"From the age of four my mother did what all Durban North mothers did and kitted me out in pink stockings, a black leotard, a pink waist band and too-tight leather pumps for my first day of ballet.

 

I walked with little trembling footsteps up the concrete pathway and into the dance room – the floor was shiny (back then – now it's the parking lot of an office park) at Minette De Klerk's Dance Academy, there was a big mirror on the left facing wall and the Barre ran along the right hand side and across the back before coming back down the left. We all sat in a circle and the teacher manipulated us into thinking that it was ok to run around on the tips of our toes…despite the agony (this was what we were 'looking forward too' as we could only do this when we were older) and I spent the next decade trying to achieve this goal.

 

As I recall, we spent most of that year skipping in a circle, and ended up doing an exam where we dressed up as little Bo peep or something and skipped in a circle holding a frilly umbrella. I have a photo of myself dressed as a clown, a maid, a sailor, a mermaid and a rainbow fairy. Good times. I still don't think that I ever successfully learned an entire dance. I merely relied on my good childhood friend Carol for the moves, I was always a split second behind the rest – you would only be able to pick it up in slow action replay….bwahahahah.

 

After ten years I accepted that I was too curvy, had size 8 shoes and just could not be bothered to "float like a feather" across the room anymore – so I took up Jazz dancing. Now that was what I liked, I think it was Jean Weirich-Wiggil who took our class, we had such a ball. I ended up with my International Bronze Levels for Jazz*

 

We did shows at cool theatres, we dressed up, we had cat fights, we judged each other, we laughed at the one whose boobs grew first and then laughed at the one whose boobs grew last. Good times. I was the latter.

 

I am now taking dancing lessons with Belinda Hellerle and her awesome Solo Adult Dance Class. Facebook me if you want to know more www.facebook.com/sbigara/

 

 

Sandy Bigara