Throughout the years, ballerinas have been a symbol of elegance, strength, grace and beauty. Because ballerinas are so closely associated with the aesthetic, they make natural subjects for art and craft projects. If your origami skills are at an advanced to intermediate level, you should be able to make an origami ballerina. This project is not easy, but it can be done, provided you bring adequate time and energy to the table.
Fold a square piece of paper in half, then fold it in half again. Unfold the paper so it returns to its original dimensions. Then fold the paper diagonally, so one corner reaches the other corner. After you have folded the paper diagonally, fold two corners down to the middle, leaving you with a diamond shape.
Pull two corners out of the back end (the end where the folds are visible) horizontally, so they stick out from either side, then pull the last remaining end down.
Pull the top down over the back so the top of the diamond is flattened, then pull the bottom of the diamond up over the front, so the pointed section sticking out of the bottom becomes visible from the front.
Fold the pointed section of the bottom up as close as it can go to the top of the back, leaving you with a diamond with a very flat isoceles triangle at the bottom.
Fold the bottom pointy section back down again, but curl the tipped part back so it forms more of a square shape.
Turn a square shaped piece of paper on its side so it has a diamond shape. Pull the corner on the right to left so it touches the opposite corner, then pull the top halfway down to the middle of the sheet, leaving you with a V shape.
Pull the upper corners down over the front, returning your piece of paper back to diamond shape, but a smaller one.
Fold the bottom tips of the top triangle shape upward, so the top of the diamond now looks like a little tutu.
Tape the second sheet to the first sheet. Tape the top of the tutu to the bottom square (ballerina torso) of the first sheet. You now have a completed ballerina.
Writer Bio
Based in St. John's, Canada, Andrew Button has been writing since 2008, covering politics, business and finance. He has contributed to newspapers and online magazines, including "The Evening Telegram" and cbc.ca. Button is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Memorial University in St. John's.
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