326 I cannot dance upon my Toes by Emily Dickinson

I cannot dance upon my Toes

I cannot dance upon my Toes -
No Man instructed me -
But oftentimes, among my mind,
A Glee possesseth me,

That had I Ballet knowledge—
Would put itself abroad
In Pirouette to blanch a Troupe—
Or lay a Prima, mad,

And though I had no Gown of Gauze—
No Ringlet, to my Hair,
Nor hopped to Audiences—like Birds,
One Claw upon the Air,

Nor tossed my shape in Eider Balls,
Nor rolled on the wheels of snow
Till I was out of sight, in sound,
The House encore me so—

Nor any know I know the Art
I mention—easy—Here -
Nor any Placard boast me—
It's full as Opera—
--Emily Dickinson

You'd think that there would be lots of great poetry about ballet -- it's essentially poetry in motion after all. But perhaps it's a problem of synesthesia. Finding words to describe a dance is like trying to find the note on the piano that precisely describes the shade of lipstick on my Teela action figure.
I had high hopes when I began reading this poem posted to yahoo answers by a user called Christopher U

Ballet

As a symphony of legs float,
but round a single piroette,
on pointe she goes,
raised in majesty
and swept in pink silk,
covering her delicate slender tones,
in wonderous shades,
as she rises another falls,
slips are barely noticed,
but frowned on all the same,
monotonous drapes appear
so sleek and slender now it is
bathed in the warm glow of her face,
and she goes for that jump,
landing near perfect,
she is,
The Ballet Dancer

Source(s):
me ;) this is my 78th poem i think now whoop lol

It starts off well, reminding me of the scene in Sleeping Beauty where each of the courters walks Aurora around in a circle while she stands on one toe. (it's at the end of the Rose Adagio -- about 5 minutes into this video)

But about halfway through, it falters and falls flatter than a dancer missing her leap. And then the author's comments at the end make me lose all respect for him and just seal the poem's fate.

Anyway, all this is merely prelude to say that I've finally got photos and prices for all my tutus online. You can go to my old Picasa tutu album http://picasaweb.google.com/KarenAhlstrom/Tutu# and see the prices in the comments. Or just look below. Remember, the prices are what I'd charge a stranger at a boutique or craft fair. Friends and family can get serious discounts off these prices -- drop me a line or call me and we'll work something out.

Pink:

Top Left: #30 Dusty Rose $24
Top Right: #4 Pink Sparkley $16
Mid Left: #5 Cotton Candy $13.50
Mid Right: #46 Dark Pink Sparkley $18.50
Bottom: #8 Magenta Short $12.50

Headbands:

Top - White Headband Pink roses $5
Middle - #18 Pink Headband Yellow and Pink Roses $6.50
Bottom - #19 Pink Headband White flowers $5
Bottom Right - #17 Rainbow Ribbon skirt $5

Red:

Top Left: #53 Red $14
Top Right:#23 Red and Gold $16.50
Bottom Left: #20 Peppermint $12.50
Bottom Right: #49 Candy Cane $20.50

Orange:

Top Left: #40 Tiger Lily $11
Top Right: #12 Peaches and Cream $11.50
Bottom Left: #31 Pale Peach $12
Bottom Right: #52 Sunflower $16

White:

Top Left: #29 White $12
Top Right: #27 Snow $13.50
Bottom Left: #14 Cream with White Ribbons $12
Bottom Right: #13 Cream Vintage $11.50

Green:

Top Left: #15 Green Poofiness $13.50
Top Right: #16 Green $10.50
Bottom Left: $42 Aquamarine $18
Bottom Right: #37 Aquamarine Short $12

Blue:

Top left: #51 Cloud $24
Top right: #2 Bluebird Thin $7.50
Bottom Left: #3 Bluebird Poofy $12.50
Middle right: #1 Bluebird Ribbon Wrapped $7.50
Bottom right: #38 Cloudy $12

Purple:

Top Left: #39 Lavender Roses $18.50

Top Right: #47 Purple Stripes $10.50

Bottom Left: #25 Purple Sparkley $22.50

Bottom Middle: #26 Deep Purple Short $12

Bottom Right: #24 Deep Purple $17

PS: There's more easter photos and a video