BELIEVE!
Megan is one of my twin granddaughters;
she loves
to dance and I do too!
These dancing shoes were painted to honour the perseverance, dedication and most of all,
the pain my dear granddaughter Megan endured through all her dancing years.
Megan has been dancing since she was 5 years old, and to commemorate her 25th birthday, I presented her this collection of watercolours of some of the dance shoes she has used.
Throughout the years, Megan took many classes of various types of dance; each new step was practiced and repeated until it became part of her.
I don't know how many steps are in her head!
FIVE BALLET POSITIONS
I remember the early years, when she was about five years old, telling me:"Oma look I can point my toes!” while learning the ballet positions; trying hard to just get it right!
TAP
A year later, she showed me her new tap shoes and she said "Look Oma they make noise!"
IRISH DANCE – soft shoe
Megan loved Irish Dance! It was a delight to see her learn all the intricate routines of this traditional folk dance. She enjoyed teaching me the new steps when we practiced together.
JAZZ
Megan’s little body started to look more like a young girl. Her coordination and musicality also started to show, so it was time to learn a new dance! Megan is a bit guarded but Jazz and Contemporary gave her the possibility to show her feelings and emotions on the stage.
IRISH DANCE – hard shoe
Megan was such a dedicated dancer that soon she advanced to the demanding and energetic Irish hard shoe. Now, she could use her powerful legs! Her determination to learn and to practice the difficult steps brought her to win various Irish Dance competitions!
HIP-HOP
As a young teenager, Megan discover fun! Now, it was the right time to learn Hip-Hop. How much she loved the colourful costumes with all their glitter and showmanship!
BALLET RITUAL
Megan had various teachers but her Principal was a very influential one. She insisted on Megan to continue learning ballet; a dance full of very strict rules, resulting in being the base of all dances.
Oma & Opa bought Megan her first “pointe shoes” and as the tradition dictates, I remember teaching her how to sew the tying ribbons on her new shoes.
BALLET POINTE
All the practice and strict learning of ballet paid off on the day when Megan performed for the first time on her pointe shoes. It was a pleasure to see her glide across the stage in perfect position, shining with her feminine grace and beautiful back!
CHARACTER
Megan has Canadian, German and Mexican genes. Probably the Latino genes played a big role when Megan decided to learn this type of folk dance. She loved the colourful costumes with all the ribbons and wavy skirts but most of all, she loved the shoes! Again, she could use her powerful legs to tap on the stage and show her femininity with the flirtatious movements.
BALLROOM
Megan took part in numerous recitals, at times performing eight to ten different dances. She took almost all the courses available in her dance school.
Megan flourished and became a beautiful woman,
just ready to take new challenges.
One day, somebody told her to take ballroom lessons; that she had a great potential to become a great teacher. Megan went to a ballroom dance studio and in just a few months, Megan was dancing like a pro! A few months later, she was invited to take part in the Canadian National Dance Championships in Toronto. The whole family went to see her perform and win a few awards in various dance routines!
CANADIAN NATIONAL DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Throughout her dancing years, Megan has been a fine example of perseverance, determination and dedication for the love of dance. She has given us many happy moments. It has been a privilege to have been part of this journey.
Unfortunately, due to an injury, Megan can’t dance professionally.
With this collection of watercolours, I want to show Megan my love and appreciation for her dedication to dance!
