![\"Ballet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/melacey.com\/blog\/wp-content\/gallery\/artwalk\/balletlearning.jpg?resize=400%2C600\" "\\"Ballet")
Here is an image of my contribution to ArtWalk 2011, my piece, “Ballet Learning Table”. <\/p>\n
The table top is a separate piece that when presented alone is called “Ballet Learning”. This part is created from my handmade paper and employs many of the French ballet terms a student encounters. Measurable objectives surround the table edge. “Ballet Learning” was presented in an earlier show (Art of Dance) on its own and hung on a wall. I re-edged the top, reflecting the words to help the piece be more flexible. While I aim for flexible interactive design in my art, I find there are one or two variables to take into account that I needed experience to forsee. This is in keeping with the constant flux that our world is in. Instead of demolishing or throwing away a complete piece, we can take care to recycle or reuse parts. It is my process of working. While many can say, reduce, reuse, recycle; few really take it seriously. <\/p>\n
The legs of the table are ballerina legs and wooden legs. The ballet slippers were my worn out slippers from ballet lessons that I took as a mature adult. While that is not the best time in a person’s life to take ballet, I love the shoes knowing that they represent not feeling too old to learn anything new despite common beliefs. The constant rubbing of soft leather ballet slippers on a floor causes a dancer to go through many slippers. The soft leather enables flexibility for toe and foot posturing and the toe will rip and tear after a week of constant work illustrating the work a student puts in. <\/p>\n
I knit the leg warmers \u2014 the softness of French Angora suits the linguistics of the piece and works well to illustrate the softness that dancers work hard to achieve. <\/p>\n