Session One Reflection- An item that holds meaning in my practice

When first asked to identify an object that symbolises my practice, my mind went immediately to a pair of pointe shoes. They are, after all, central to my practice as a ballet dancer. I spend countless hours preparing them and endeavouring to master the technique of dancing in them. It’s very much a love-hate relationship. However, choosing pointe shoes felt a bit cliché—a ballerina’s most relevant item being her pointe shoes—so I decided to look further.

For every ballet performance, the theatre distributes a program booklet to the audience before the show. Inside, it contains details about the choreographer, the plot, the music, and the dancers performing that evening. Over the years, I’ve collected these programs from nearly every production I’ve been a part of—from my early roles as a beggar or peasant to the bigger roles I’ve danced more recently, like the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty.

As a young child, I dreamt about the kinds of ballets that I would perform, the roles I would dance, and the artists with whom I would share the stage. These booklets are not just mementoes of my experiences; they are reminders of the challenges I overcame to become a ballet dancer. I rarely take the time to reflect on the fact that I achieved my greatest childhood dream and live it every day. But when I flip through these programs and see my name and photograph inside, I feel a sense of accomplishment.