Mom the Dancer

Here is my first preservation of a family heirloom.  My mother loved to dance.  When she was a young girl she took lessons and had many recitals.  Her claim to fame was that she was asked to audition for the role that eventually given to Shirley Temple; but, her mother said no.  Of course this could be a family myth, a false memory on her part, but what gives the story some credulity is that my mother's uncle was Guinn "Big Boy" Williams.  He performed in numerous movies and was a great friend of Will Rogers.  With that said, there probably was some dancing part that Guinn suggested my mother could audition for but, as to whether there is a Shirley Temple connection, who knows.

This photo is from one of her recitals and she is about 5-8 years old.  She is no longer with us and I can't remember what she told me.  This is a 3 dimensional photo in that it is adhered to a piece of wood and cut to shape with a slotted stand.  We have had this on display for over 30 years in various places in the house.  Currently, I have wrapped it in acid-free tissue and placed in an archival box.

The next two photos are of a slip that she used to wear with one of her costumes. This is one of those discoveries that you forgot you knew about.  When my mother passed away, I cleaned out her (crowded) craft room and there it was on the stand tucked in a corner.  There is nothing else I can recall about this (which makes me sad).  With the slip, I have wrapped it in the same type of tissue as the photo; and, have stored it in the same box.

One of her last (non-lucid) moments was remembering a dance she went to with my father.  She was in bed but she had her arms up (as if waltzing) and I could all but hear the music. Her face was lit up and she was very happy lost in the dance.