Signed ballet shoes worn by former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Darcey Bussell are coming up for auction at Hansons.
And when you see the hard, flat ends of the delicate footwear you instantly grasp the rigours of dancing on pointe, both during rehearsals and nightly performances.
Darcey, a former Royal Ballet star and now president of the Royal Academy of Dance, originally donated her shoes to an auction to aid The Blond McIndoe Research Centre which funds ground-breaking research into the science of healing.
It’s hardly surprising she chose to support the charity bearing in mind the issues professional ballet dancers have to deal with through dancing on pointe.
Darcey has had two operations on her ankle, torn her hamstring, snapped an anterior cruciate ligament and had her hip resurfaced.
Provenance with the item tells us the shoes were worn for the only rehearsal for a closing performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House. They are due to be sold on August 19, estimate £400-£600.
Items relating to stars from all aspects of the entertainment industry often do well at auction. For example, in our August London Auction a Help album cover signed by all four members of The Beatles made £1,350. We’re now gathering items for our October Film and Music Memorabilia Auction. To arrange a free valuation, email James Harris: [email protected].
