The Magic Ballet Slippers

The Magic Ballet Slippers

A true dancer dances with her heart not her feet.
   

By: Lianna Rodriguez
(c) 2008


It was a cold october morning. The sun was slowly seeping through the cloudy

gray sky. Parisians were scurrying through the narrow cobblestoned streets with

their umbrellas perched beside them. Couples were holding hands and oblivious to

the dampness of the weather. Children were giggling and

squabbling amongst themselves as they eagerly waited to board their school

bus. The older gentleman who owned the boulangerie (bakery) across the street

was opening the doors for his impatient customers seeking to satiate their appetite

by devouring every morsel of his delicious baked goods. He welcomed them with a

graceful nod. It may have seemed like an ordinary autumn day to any other parisian

but today was no ordinary day for a young girl named Karina.


Above the boulangerie stood a young girl gazing out the window as tears were

softly streaming down her ample cheeks.


“Oh, I am an awful ballet dancer”  She cried. “I will never be good enough”. 

“Karina, You are going to be late for class ” yelled her mother. “Are you almost

ready?”.

“Yes, I am” She cried, As she silently stuffed

her pink ballet slippers into her small yellow duffle bag. It had a tiny brown mouse

wearing a silver tiara, a pink tutu, and pink ballet slippers. She softly closed the

door behind her and scurried through the hallway. “Karina, what is the matter?” her

mother asked. “Oh, nothing is wrong mama” karina replied. “I know that

you’ve been crying. I see the tear stains on your cheeks. What is the matter,

sweetheart?” asked her mother.  “I am just sad that I am not a very good

dancer like Lisette or the other kids in my class.” karina said solemnly. “You are a

beautiful young girl and you are just as good as your sister Lisette. Don’t forget

that. You have to confidence in yourself.” her mother said. “Now, you must hurry or

you’ll be late.

Also, Do not forget that your auntie  is coming over tonight and we’re going to a

bistro for dinner.” “Really? Aunt Evelyn?” Karina said enthusiastically. “Yes, she is

back from her trip to Moscow and will be spending 6 days in Paris. She will be here

on business but she has set aside 2 days for all of us to spend time together.” said

her mother with a grin on her face. “I heard she brought you and Lisette lots of

presents”. Karina’s face was glowing with excitement. She was so excited that she

forgot to kiss her mother goodbye and ran all the way to her ballet school.     

 
  It was already evening. Karina’s mother had suprised her with a new dress and

shoes for tonight's festivities. The dress was red and frilly with white lace on the

bottom. The shoes had a one inch heel and karina kept pacing back and forth

making a clacking sound against the wood floors of the apartment. She couldn’t

wait for her aunt to arrive. To take her mind off the long wait that followed before the

arrival of Aunt evelyn, Karina decided to call up her friend Padma.  Padma and

Karina attended the same private school. They were both in the same class and

greatly disliked their itchy uniforms. "Hello Padma! How are you?"asked karina. "Hi

karina, I am good. How are you?" replied Padma. "I'm just waiting for my aunt to

arrive and then we're going to go out." replied Karina. "That is so cool. What is your

Aunt like? Tell me everything asked Padma. "Sure, Aunt Evelyn is a photographer

and is always traveling around the world. She wears lots of eccentric jewelry from

different countries and beautiful dresses with exotic prints. She always wears make

up. Her lips are always rouged and her eyes lined with “Kohl”. Kohl was something

she always purchased when she traveled to Egypt. It was made out of Soot and

other secret ingredients. She told me how the Ancient Egyptians used kohl to

protect their eyes against infections and the glare of the sun. One time I asked her

to apply it to my eyes and Lisette’s eyes.  That day we pretended that we were

Ancient Egyptian princesses and wrapped ourselves in white sheets from our hall

closet. Although, My mom wasn’t too happy about us ruining her clean sheets.

Aunt Evelyn always told stories about her adventures. Her stories are much better

than all the books I’ve ever read. My favorite story was when she went on a safari to

Kenya and was face to face with a lion. It’d made me wish I was as brave as she

was. She would always show us a SlideShow of photographs that she took on her

expeditions. We would all huddle on the couch like football players and eat the

delicious treats that she would bring us from all over the world. My favorite treats

were the delicious Belgian chocolates that she brought from her trip last spring to

Belgium. To other people Aunt Evelyn may seem different and kooky but

Aunt Evelyn never cared about what people thought about her and that is what I

love most about her." "That's so cool" replied Padma "I really hope to meet her

someday". "Definitely, it sounds like a plan" replied Karina.       



The bright lights of a car peeked through the dusky lace curtains in the living room.

Karina jumped up in excitement and raced towards the door. “Karina ” yelled Aunt Evelyn

as she opened the black door of the car. Karina ran into her arms and buried her face into

Aunt Evelyn’s luxurious beige cashmere coat. It was so soft and warm. The musky smell

of Aunt Evelyn’s distinct sandalwood perfume infiltrated Karina’s tiny button nose. 

Lisette and Mama were behind and they all took turns to greet Aunt Evelyn. “I missed you

all, so much” cried Aunt Evelyn. “We missed you too ”
       


They walked , sang, giggled, and talked all the way to the restaurant. It was a tiny

yet cozy place. The food was delicious. Karina couldn’t wait for the dessert. They all

ordered Creme Brulee. The Creme Brulee had a delicious custard inside with a top layer of

hard caramel. Aunt Evelyn talked more about her travels but was much more

interested in what her nieces were up to. “They’re still in ballet class.” said Mama as

she sipped her coffee. “Yes, but I am not very good” said karina as she cracked the

creme brulee with her spoon. “I have a recital in two weeks, Aunt Evelyn. I want you to

come but it’s going to be awful”. “Why is that?” said Aunt Evelyn with a concerned look

on her face. “Well, I’ve been practicing for a while but  I’ll never be as good as the other

girls in my class or Lisette. Plus, Madame LaFleur, my teacher, already chose the main

dancer. I’ll just be in the background doing nothing.” Karina replied.“I don’t believe that

you’re an awful dancer.” said Aunt Evelyn. “I know that you’re a wonderful dancer.

Remember this, A true dancer dances with her heart not her feet”. “You’re

silly” giggled karina. “What does that quote mean?” asked Lisette. “Well, It’s just a little

quote that one of my good friend’s told me when I used to ballroom dance as a teenager. It

was on the night of an Amateur competition and I was not feeling confident.” said Aunt

Evelyn. “What does confident mean?” asked Lisette.  “It means to have faith in

yourself no matter what you do or where you are.” replied Aunt Evelyn. “Can you finish

the story?” interrupted Karina who was devouring every inch of her creme brulee. “Sure”

replied Aunt Evelyn. “Before the competition I was feeling very nervous. I really felt

as if I had butterflies in my stomach  Or even worse it felt like there were a dozen bull

dozers inside my belly. I completely forgot my routine and all the dance moves that I’ve

learned after months of training. One of my good friends named Maksim then approached

me and asked me why I was lacking so much inner confidence. I wasn’t sure

why I was and I couldn’t respond with an answer. That’s when he told me that “a true

dancer dances with her heart not her feet” I laughed at that quote. I thought it was the

silliest quote that I’ve ever heard but through the years it began to make much more sense

to me. When you have the passion in your heart to dance than you’re truly a dancer. That’s

what I think it means but I think it’s up to the person to decide what that quote means to

them.”. “I like that quote.” replied karina. “Oh, really you do.?” said Aunt Evelyn as she

softly wiped a small piece of Creme Brulee that was stuck to Karina’s chin. For the rest

of the night they laughed, reminisced, and sang  till their hearts content.

       



The next morning, Aunt Evelyn came over for breakfast. Mama had made a huge

breakfast for everyone. It consisted of Eggs, Crepes, Warm buttered croissants, and

Freshly made orange juice. They giggled and talked throughout their whole meal. After

breakfast, they all sat in the living room awaiting to receive the presents that Aunt Evelyn

brought them from her trip to Russia. “Here you go, Sweetheart.” said Aunt Evelyn

handing a small box wrapped in beautiful gold paper to Lisette. She tore it to shreds.

“Wow  It’s beautiful” cried Lisette. It was an antique jewelry box with a ballerina inside

dancing to the beautiful sounds of a piano. “Thank you ,so much. I’ll treasure it forever”

said Lisette as she embraced Aunt Evelyn. “Hmm, who is next?” asked aunt Evelyn. “For

my sister, Yvonne” she handed over an even smaller box than Lisette’s present. It was

delicately wrapped in silk fabric and tied with a big red bow. Mama gently opened

her gift and slowly pulled out a beautiful gold locket. “I knew that you always wanted one

when we were younger. I found it at an antique shop. The guy who worked there said it

belonged to one of the queens of France. I am not sure which one..” said aunt Evelyn

smiling. “Look inside”. Mama opened the locket softly and tears began to stream down her

face. It was a picture of Mama and Aunt Evelyn when they were both teenagers. They

embraced and began to tell stories about their youth.

Lisette and Karina giggled at their funny foibles. “Oh, no ” cried Aunt Evelyn. “We got so

carried away with our stories that I forgot to give Karina her gift”. She delved deep into

a huge and colorful bag that was decorated with lots of sparkles and glitter. She pulled

out a large box wrapped in purple paper and a silk bow.  “You will love this” she said as

she handed it over to karina. She carefully unwrapped the paper, It was so beautiful that

she did not want to mess it up the way Lisette did. As she opened the box, a pair of gently

worn red satin ballet slippers peered through the soft tissue paper. “Wow ” gasped karina.

“Do you like them?” Aunt Evelyn said. “Yes, I love them. They’re gorgeous” replied

karina. “I knew you would. There is a whole magical story behind these pair of red

slippers” said aunt Evelyn. “Do you want to hear it?” “Yes, of course ” cried karina. “I

was walking down the streets of Moscow and I came across this old antique shop. I went

inside and I told the old man who worked there that I was looking for a gift for my niece

Karina who happens to be a ballet dancer. He then showed me these slippers and told me a

charming little legend about them. He said that they once belong to a famous and beautiful

ballerina named Natalia who danced for kings and queens all over the world. She wore

these slippers for all her performances and they always brought her luck. He said that any

girl that’ll wear them will possess the same abilities as the ballerina.” “Wow  I can’t wait

to wear them to class tomorrow ” karina cried with enthusiasm. She embraced Aunt

Evelyn. “Oh, Evelyn. I don’t think it is right to get little Karina’s hopes up” interrupted

Mama. “Oh, I am not. The story is true..” said aunt Evelyn smiling at Karina. Mama

playfully rolled her eyes at aunt Evelyn and walked away to the kitchen. Aunt Evelyn

hugged karina and they continued to smile at each other and talk about the slippers

through out the morning.

Karina couldn’t wait till it was tomorrow morning. For the first time in months, she was

looking forward to ballet school. 


           
Karina was awakened by the sun’s warm rays. Bonjour Monsieur Soleil  (Good

Morning, Mr. Sun) said karina. She imagined the sun responding “Bonjour, karina” and

she giggled at the very thought. She dressed quickly, threw the red slippers in her bag, ate

a croissant with butter, kissed mama, Aunt Evelyn, and Lisette goodbye. She then happily

skipped along the narrow cobble stoned streets to dance class. 

   

As she entered the dance studio she greeted her fellow dance mates. “Hello

Alexander, Comment allez-vous?(How are you?) said karina. “Bien, merci ”(Good, Thank

you) said Alexander. Karina rushed to the changing room to put on her magical red

slippers. “Okay, Class  Settle down” yelled Madame Lefleur. Madame LeFleur was

Karina’s dance teacher. She had wavy brown hair that she softly put into a loose chignon.

She had long thin legs and a sharp pointed nose with specks of freckles. She had dark

green eyes that peered through her half-mooned eye glasses. Her voice was soft and

soothing. Every time she spoke she sounded as if she was singing.“I want everyone to get

into their proper positions” “Where is karina?” “I am here, madame” karina said swiftly as

she ran out of the changing room. “Okay, very well” said Madame LeFleur.




“Good, everyone is in their proper position”. “Today we’re going to do a simple warmup

and then afterwards we’re going to practice for our recital. I would like everyone to stand

on their right leg and extend their left leg straight out behind them.’ This move was known

as the ‘arabesque’ and the class had practiced it several times before. Madame LeFleur

strolled down the aisle of students as they struggled to keep themselves in  position.

“Pretty Good, Nicholas and Michael” said Madame LeFleur. “Keep your chin up,

Christine.”. “Stephanie, stand on your right leg not your left leg” said Madame Lefleur.

“Hmm, Is it that difficult to do such a simple pose? We’ve practiced this step so many

times.” said Madame LeFleur puzzled at her student’s clumsiness. Everyone was falling all

over the place.“Wow, Madame LeFleur look at Karina ” cried a young girl named Jenny

with long light brown curly hair and large brown eyes that resembled the buttons on a

wool peacoat. 



Madame LeFleur turned around and gazed in amazement at karina. When karina finished

Madame LeFleur  approached karina with her arms proudly extended towards the sky.

“Bravo  Karina. “Excellent ” cried Madame LeFleur as she clapped with joy. “You see

class this is how you do the ‘arabesque’. Everyone in her classed cheered. Elizabeth and

Alexander patted karina on the back. Karina felt a little embarrassed at all the attention but

was secretly happy.


Madame LeFleur then motioned her class to begin a new ballet step called “the

chasse”. “Okay, class this move will be a bit more difficult than the ‘arabesque.” “The

chasse is a galloping motion where one leg appears to chase the other.” she said. “I want

everyone to rise up on their tiptoes and try to follow what I am doing.” All the children

tried but weren’t very good. Poor George fell on his behind and soon Joshua and Alexander

followed. The disappointment on Madame LeFleur’s face was evident. “Emily is the main

dancer in our recital and she hasn’t been doing very well for the past 2 rehearsals and

she forgets the simplest ballet steps. I might have to choose another student to replace here

but this is a difficult decision. Who am I going to choose?” She wondered to herself. Her

thoughts were then interrupted by the children gasping in amazement at their fellow

classmate Karina. Karina was confidently leaping and pirouetting through the air without a

care in the world. She was doing the arabesque, chasse, port de bras, emboite, tendu and a

variety of different ballet steps that the class hadn’t even learn yet. “Karina, I cannot

believe how you’ve learned so much in a matter of weeks” said Madame LeFleur. “Our

recital is in 2 weeks and I want you to be the main dancer ”. “Wow, really? Me? Said

karina. “Yes.” said Madame LeFleur “Do you want to do it? It’s okay if you do

not want to. Since it is such short notice”. “Oh, no no no no. I want to do it  I really do ”

said karina enthusiastically. “Excellent ” replied Madame LeFleur as she turned to the rest

of the class. “Well today I am going to have to let everyone out a little early because I have

to make a few changes to our recital now that Karina is our main dancer. However, class

we’re going to continue our warm-up”


Every single one of karina’s classmates were excited for her and cheered except

Emily. Emily was the tallest in the class. She had her light brown hair tied back in a tight

bun. When Madame LeFleur re-announced that Karina would be the main dancer, Emily’s

squinted her pale blue eyes and pressed her lips in anger. Emily was upset and found it

unfair that Madame LeFleur replaced her with Karina.


The class continued their warm up of basic ballet steps. All of which Karina excelled at.
         

“Congratulations, karina.” said Emily as she approached karina. She had a forced

smile that seemed fake on her face that was noticeable to the rest of their classmates.

“Thank you, Emily” replied Karina with a cheerful smile. However, Emily didn’t smile

back.

They were then interrupted by Madame Lefleur’s announcement. “You all

did very well but now it’s time for us to go home. I want everyone to have a goodnight’s

rest and tomorrow we will begin our rehearsal” announced Madame LeFleur. Karina and

the rest of her fellow classmates talked and giggled amongst each other till the boys and

girls entered their proper changing rooms. As karina softly removed her red ballet slippers

she was interrupted by her friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth had soft red hair and oodles of

freckles that trekked over her flustered cheeks and nose. “Karina, You were wonderful  I


can’t believe how you’ve changed in a matter of weeks.” “Thank you” said karina as her

cheeks began to turn a soft hue of pink. “How did you learn so fast?” Elizabeth asked. “I

guess it was magic.” karina said with a slight giggle in her voice. “You are so silly” said

Elizabeth as she playfully rolled her big brown eyes. “I’m not silly, It’s true” karina said.

“If I tell you the truth, do you promise not to say anything?”. “I promise” replied Elizabeth.

“Okay, Follow me” said karina. Karina grabbed her red slippers and they both walked to

the corner of the changing room so that no one else could hear. “My aunt brought me these

red satin slippers from her trip to Russia” karina said as she held up the slippers. “So? What

does that have to do with you being a good dancer?” replied Elizabeth. “I’m not finished,

silly” giggled karina. “She told me the story behind the slippers. They once belonged to a

famous Russian ballerina named Natalia who danced for kings and queens. The man at the

store where she brought them said that any young girl who would wear them would be a

wonderful ballet dancer like Natalia.” “That sound’s so nice” said Elizabeth as her eyes

widen with excitement. “Can I try them on?” asked Elizabeth. “Okay, but be careful” said

Karina. Elizabeth walked over to the wooden bench in the center of the changing room.

Karina handed her the slippers and she gently put them on. As soon as she was done

Elizabeth stood up and walked around the room.

“I don’t feel anything. I don’t think they work” said Elizabeth. “Well, of course they won’t

work if you just stand around, silly.” replied karina. “Why don’t you try a simple

pirouette?” “We all know you’re pretty bad at that” laughed karina. “Hey, that isn’t funny ”

replied Elizabeth with her hands on her hips. ‘Okay, I am sorry’ said karina. “I forgive

you.” replied Elizabeth as she playfully stuck her tongue out at karina. They both bursted

out laughing because they both knew every time Elizabeth tried to attempt this basic ballet

step she would always fall on her behind or knocked down poor Alexander who stood

behind her.

“Okay, enough laughing. Here I go” said Elizabeth as she softly closed her eyes. Karina

stood back and watched as Elizabeth bit her bottom lip as she attempted to do a pirouette.

Elizabeth slowly extended her arm to the side with her palm forward. She stood up straight

and slowly bent her left leg into her body as she spun gracefully on the room floor. She

then stopped and extended her right leg behind her and brought her left leg forward with

her arms gracefully up in the air. “Wow ” cried Karina. “That was amazing. Do you believe

me now?”. “I do. Oh, I really do ” Elizabeth yelled with great enthusiasm. “I felt as if I was

flying. I felt so free and I wasn’t nervous at all.”. “Just promise me, Elizabeth that you

won’t tell anyone. It’s our little secret. Okay?” said Karina.“I promise, I won’t tell anyone”

replied Elizabeth. They hugged and Elizabeth handed the slippers back to Karina. Karina

slowly put them back in her little yellow bag. They were the last to the leave the changing

room but little did they know that someone was lurking in the shadows and listening to

every word they said. “So, that’s how she became a good dancer so

quickly” Emily whispered to herself. “I have to get my hands on those slippers”.



____


The next morning, karina decided to call her Aunt who was working at the local

gallery. She was setting up for her exhibit that would feature the photographs that she took

from her summer trip to India. “Hi, Aunt Evelyn  It’s me karina ”. “Hi karina, darling .

How are you?” asked Aunt Evelyn.“I’m great . I have so much to tell you ” replied karina.

“My teacher is making me the main dancer in the recital  The slippers are really magical ”

cried karina with excitement.“That is so wonderful, sweetheart ” replied Aunt Evelyn. “I’m

very proud of you. I knew you could do it.” “Thank you so much, Aunt Evelyn  For the

slippers and for everything.” replied karina. “Always remember to believe in magic and

yourself” chimed Aunt Evelyn . “I will. I have to go now. I have class in 15 minutes.”

replied karina. “Okay, sweetheart. I will talk to you later . Love you lots ” said Aunt

Evelyn. “I love you too, Goodbye” replied Karina. ::click::


____

“I am telling you the truth  Those slippers are magical. I have to get my hands on

them because if I do karina won’t be a great dancer anymore and Madame LeFleur will

give me back the part of the main dancer..” said Emily who pressed her chin against the

phone. “There’s no such thing as magic.” replied her friend Stephanie, who also happened

to be Karina’s fellow classmate. “I saw it with my own eyes. That clumsy oaf Elizabeth

was pirouetting all over the place.” replied Emily. “Well, I have to see it for myself because

I think you’re lying.” said Stephanie. “Fine, tomorrow

after class. I’ll show you.” said Emily as she sighed through the phone. “Alright, It’s a

plan” replied Stephanie. “I’ll see you then, bye ”replied Emily with a sinister smirk on her

face. ::click::


___


The very next day Elizabeth and Alexander approached karina in the hallway of the

dance studio because she and all the other students were waiting for Madame LeFleur to

open the doors to the  classroom. “Hey karina” said Alexander. “Oh, Hi Alex and

Elizabeth ” replied karina. “Hi karina” said Elizabeth “Umm, karina I was wondering if we

can let Alex in on our little secret”. “Well, I don’t know.” replied karina. “He doesn’t have

a reputation of being a snitch.” replied Elizabeth. “Oh, Alright then.” replied Karina As

long as he promises to keep this a secret between us three.” “I do ” said Alex as his eyes

lite up. “Well, come to my house an hour after class and I’ll show you”. replied Karina.

They all shook hands and swore to secrecy. Madame LeFleur finally arrived with the sound

of keys dangling in her long overcoat and she finally opened the doors. It was time for class

to begin.

____


“Karina  Your friends are here ” yelled Lisette. “Oh ok, send them up” Karina yelled back.

Karina scurried to throw her clothes that were on the floor into her closet as she heard her

friends Alexander and Elizabeth walking up the stairs. “Hey guys” said karina who was

slightly out of breath. “Hey karina” they both said. They both sat on her bed as their eyes

wandered all over the room. Alex was eager with anticipation to find out what the secret

was. “So what’s the secret?” ask Alex. “Well, you see these red satin ballet slippers?”

asked karina who pointed to the slippers that were on her dresser. “Yeah, so?” replied Alex.

“I don’t know how to say this but they’re magical” said karina. “What?” laughed Alex.

“They are  Are you guys sure no one followed you from our school?”asked Karina. “No,

Why would anyone follow us to your house?” replied Elizabeth. “Oh, I don’t know. I just

have a feeling someone other than the three of us knows about the slippers” sighed Karina.

“I doubt it” replied Elizabeth. “We were alone in the changing room. I didn’t hear or see

anyone else”. “Yeah, You’re probably right” replied Karina. “Well, where did you get

those magic slippers?” asked Alex. “My Aunt Evelyn brought them for me from her trip

to Russia.” replied Karina. “She said that they once belonged to a famous ballerina named

Natalia who danced for kings and queens all over the world and any girl or boy who wears

them will dance as great as her. Elizabeth and I are certain that this is true because we both

tried them on and it made us danced so gracefully.” “Well, I guess I can believe it.” replied

Alex “You both were the worse dancers in class and recently Karina has been dancing

amazingly.”. “Humph  You are so rude” said Elizabeth who clearly was annoyed at Alex’s

comments. “I’m just kidding, girls” laughed Alex.“You girls were not the worse. You were

more like the 2nd and 3rd worse.” Alex continued to tease Karina and Elizabeth until Karina

bopped him in the head with a pillow. They all began to laugh and didn’t take Alex’s

teasing to heart. “Do you think I can try them on?” asked Alex.

“Sure  I wonder if they’ll work on you” replied Karina. She gently took them off the

dresser and handed them to Alex. He began taking off his sneakers and the ballet slippers

were a perfect fit. “Okay, what now?” asked Alex. “Well, don’t stand around and expect

them to take you for a walk.” replied Elizabeth. “Try a ballet move that you aren’t good at.

That’s what I did.” “Alright. Well, I am not really good at the “Fouette en Tournant”said

Alex.


To be continued...