The Slipper Sole: The painting was inspired by the
sole of a ballerina slipper. “Sole” brought me to the
idea of the dancer’s own journey as a dancer and
where her soul was going. Delicately overlaid is an intricate
stitching of lace on the skirt, beadwork on her
sleeves, and atop her ballerina crown matching
feathers guide her into the air.

Russian Inspiration: Another
inspiration for the work was Agrippina
Vaganova, a student at the Imperial
Ballet School in St Petersburg.
Following the Russian revolution of
1917, she returned to the school as a
teacher in 1921. She devised her own
method of classical ballet training,
fusing elements of French, Italian and
other methods as well as influences
from other Russian dancers and
teachers. This method has become
known worldwide as the Vaganova
method and influenced the most
famous dancers in history.