So many things in our lives have little rituals associated with them. These rituals give us a bit of time from our busyness to think. Our dances have rituals that I just realized recently. When the dancers arrive, these are the ones who are pursuing the dance, they come with their bags, the bags with the dance shoes.

There are street shoes and there are dance shoes, and when you arrive to dance, you sit on the bench or chair on the edge of the dance floor, open the strings that hold the magic in and you change your shoes. It’s not just the ladies, the men bring their dance shoes too. These are the suede-soled shoes that free us from the friction that would hold us back, that let us turn and spin to see the world around us full circle, that help us glide into the position that suits us. I’ve started thinking of this little ritual as my UnCinderella moment; I put on the shoe that I know fits me perfectly.

Cinderella is an Italian folktale from 17th century Napoli, a tale of unjust oppression. The name Cinderella has come to symbolize one whose attributes were unrecognized, or who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect. The Aarne-Thompson tale type index classifies Cinderella as “the persecuted heroine”. Those shoes don’t fit me and I wouldn’t want them to fit anyone. I much prefer my UnCinderella. She doesn’t wait for a prince to save her, she doesn’t rely on others to help her recognize who she can be. In our story she puts on her dance shoes herself and becomes exactly who she wants to be, which is exactly who she is. I think UnCinderella is a great tale to tell to all of our little girls.

Question: Do you have a ritual that makes you think? Share your answer on Facebook, or Twitter