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Original poster

i’d love to begin ballet... am I mad?

31 replies

whalebag · 11/09/2018 12:13

I’ve always loved and wanted to do ballet right from when I was a young child (never got enrolled in classes though - boo Sad)

Now I’m an adult, just about (20!) it’s still something I’d love to do. Perhaps not to take it seriously as a dancer but just to... try out, and enjoy and say, ‘hey, I tried it, it was fun’. I enjoy watching ballet and find the ballerinas so.. lithe and elegant and gorgeous, and it just... looks so enjoyable - always has Smile

The thing is, I have cerebral palsy. I also have weight issues (size 14-16 now)
When I was chatting to my physiotherapists as a child I basically got laughed at when I asked about ballet (the physio organisation I was with were able to set the children up in things like ballet, horse riding, swimming etc) as they said I would be too clumsy and too fat and no one would accept me into it. So that was that.

It’s always stuck with me... but hasn’t really put me off. I’ve always just though, oh, I can try again when I’m an adult and I still really, really want to. But now that I think about it... I can’t begin ballet, can I?! Would it be totally stupid of me to try now as an adult...? Even if I just wanted to do it as a hobby and not full on performance ‘big star’ - I know I wouldn’t ‘make it’ and wouldn’t intend on ‘making it’
I don’t want to feel like a clumsy lump, like I was told.

Dish it to me.. am I being silly, should I just forget about it? 😅

OP posts:
Pavlova31 · 11/09/2018 12:28

No way should you not go to classes .
Look up the Royal Academy of Dance website where you will find one of their accredited teachers near you .

starfish8 · 11/09/2018 12:31

Definitely! I've danced as a child but restarted ballet after 20 years in the summer and love it.

Depends what areas you're in but there are often beginner classes around so you're not joining experienced dancers. Helps if you're near a city.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 11/09/2018 12:31

Of course you should do whatever you want. Lots of people go to classes to improve flexibility and tone up.

I agree about ballet. I’m way older and one of the highlights of my life was seeing Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall. Utterly magical and never to be forgotten.

Pavlova31 · 11/09/2018 12:32

To be a professional dancer you need to have started training about the age of 10 but it is a great fitness hobby for adults.
I hope you have a fun time with your Classes !

Racecardriver · 11/09/2018 12:34

You can start by all means but do be warned that it is quite painful if you are dancing en pointe (is that how you spell it?), especially at the beginning.

Asterado · 11/09/2018 12:35

I’ve been looking at classes as a keep fit kind of thing for myself. Do it! I’m still building up the courage....

LIZS · 11/09/2018 12:36

Not at all. Many children's dance schools run adult ballet classes or spin-offs like barre fitness which use ballet music and positions as the basis for an exercise class. It might be worth having a one to one as a taster and to familiarise you with some of the positions.

Mhw02 · 11/09/2018 12:37

Go for it. I actually read an article only last week about a little girl with cerebral palsy who passed her RAD ballet exams.

I started ballet last year at 32. My only experience of dance was being kicked out of highland at the age of 8 for being incompetent. I'm dyspraxic and have practically no hip turnout, but I have loved every minute and the teachers at my studio are lovely and ridiculously patient and supportive.

Mhw02 · 11/09/2018 12:39

racecardriver no beginner is going to be asked to dance en pointe! Plenty of people at the studio I go to dance in socks!

Pavlova31 · 11/09/2018 12:41

En Pointe means you have studied Ballet long enough in soft shoes to have sufficient strength in your feet ,ankles and back .
Pointe training must be properly taught and gently introduced to keep any pain to be a minimum.
Please dont be tempted to buy a pair of Pointes to try out on your own at home. Always be guided by your teacher !

TinklyLittleLaugh · 11/09/2018 12:45

There is an adult ballet class at our church hall. Women of all ages and sizes go. It looks like fun.

listsandbudgets · 11/09/2018 12:48

NOt at all mad. A good friend started in his early 70s and loves it. He'd always wanted to do it as a child but been told it was a "girl thing"... he's got over that idea now Grin

Personally I have all the elegance and grace of an dyspraxic elephant (I am dyspraxic so allowed to say that) and I think ballet would not be the thing for me!!

Good luck have fun

LIZS · 11/09/2018 12:48

Very few adult beginners will ever reach the stage of being en pointe. It takes years of classes and developing appropriate physicality. Starters can be in very basic soft ballet shoes with a leather sole or even barefoot.

Pavlova31 · 11/09/2018 12:50

Do make sure you have your soft shoes fitted at a Dance Shop if at all possible so you get the best fit and type for you.Far easier than trying to work it out online .Often makers have their own sizing charts .
For example my feet are size 7 but in the shoes I wear I am a size 12 😀

mycelialnetwork · 11/09/2018 12:52

I do ballet. Studied as a child, but hadn't done it for about 20 years when I started again. It's very casual and encouraging, but also the teachers don't dumb it down and always expect everyone to try, although there are usually different levels to attempt. I am size 16 and it really doesn't matter.

Try it and see how it goes.

chickendrizzlecake · 11/09/2018 12:52

Of course you can learn to dance. At 46 I go to a weekly class where I am the youngest and the oldest lady is in her eighties. If she can dance so can you!

Look around for an adult class, but if you are struggling to find one it is worth asking approaching children's teachers too. Many are happy to provide adult lessons if they can get enough people to make it worth it.

The main accredited bodies for dance teachers are the RAD, IDTA and ISTD. Have a look on all of the websites for local teachers.

Good luck

Original poster
whalebag · 11/09/2018 12:54

Ah, thank you all so much you have all made me cry Grin I really expected people to just laugh me away !! I’m definitely going to look into it. So happy :-)

OP posts:
Pavlova31 · 11/09/2018 12:54

As people have said you can make a start just wearing socks if you want to .

Pavlova31 · 11/09/2018 12:57

Great that you are so encouraged Op . Have fun learning 😃

liquidrevolution · 11/09/2018 12:57

Do it!!

I do a ballet based exercise class to music. I'm 45 and a size 20 with dodgy back and knees.

I feel elegant even if I don't look it Grin

JynxaSmoochum · 11/09/2018 13:06

Go for it! I went to a lovely adult ballet class for a few years in my 20s. I did ballet as a child/ teenager but have no talent for it, but I loved it. There were some natural ballet dancers in the class, some with a bit of background and some complete novices, but we all enjoyed what we were doing and had fun.

Original poster
whalebag · 11/09/2018 15:41

I have looked around and found some local ballet classes and I’m going to inquire/apply tomorrow :-)

The only thing I’m worried about is my CP. It is relatively mild compared to other people who have cerebral palsy but it will obviously impact my dancing in some form, I’m a little worried in case they say oh, no, we can’t teach you/we aren’t able to support you and your needs. Are they able to do that, do you think, or can I have a go regardless?

OP posts:
explodingkitten · 11/09/2018 22:41

Just go to an adult class. I promiss you that not everyone is stick thin.

Mhw02 · 11/09/2018 23:30

explodingkitten is right, not everyone will be stick thin. There are all shapes and sizes in the classes I go to. There is one woman who is a sumo wrestler and comes to ballet to help her move better at sumo!

As for your CP, if it's, as you say, a relatively mild form you have I'm sure the teachers will be able to work with you. My teachers are all very good at working with the people they have in front of them and providing alternative stretches for people who struggle with certain exercises. Just contact the people who run the studio and see what they say; I am sure they will tell you to come along and see how comfortable you feel!

As an aside, I was in agony after my first ballet class; I worked muscles I didn't know I even had. Don't let the inevitable pain of the first class put you off! Also, I see someone upthread mentioned barre fitness; I wouldn't recommend that until you've got a few ballet classes under your belt! Barre fitness is a fantastic workout, but VERY intense, and you need a little knowledge of the basic ballet positions.

MinotaurWildThing · 12/09/2018 02:20

Go for it, there should be plenty of teachers who'd be delighted to teach someone so keen. I guess maybe explain the CP to potential teachers as (like anyone in the general population) they may not know enough about it to understand what you can and can't do.

Would it perhaps be worth talking to a physio as well to get specific exercises that will make the ballet easier? Ballet's required level of proprioception in turn requires massive strength, particularly core strength. It's really easy to get injured. Physios can probably suggest ways to minimize the level of difficulty.

(I did ballet til I was 18, and had pretty terrible technique. I thought the level of pain I experienced was normal. Turns out I had a broken foot that had never healed and actually compensating for the excruciating foot pain led to all sorts of other things being massively out of alignment - and a decent look from a sports physio, who would probably have referred me straight to an orthopaedic surgen given what my foot looked like - would've probably solved all the ballet technique issues. This is a fairly common story in ballet...)