To be quite disgruntled that it seems I haven't grown up to be a ballerina.

[Slubberdegullion]

I just think it's quite unfair really.

I did ballet for like 4 or 5 years when I was quite small. Good toes, naughty toes etc etc.

I really REALLY wanted hard to be a ballerina, and I still do, so imagine my shock and dismay when I realise last night that some lovely, bendy, pointy-toes Russian lady is dancing Giselle partnered by Carlos Acosta at the Royal Opera House and I'm just WATCHING her do it at the cinema in Ellesmere Port.

Who can I complain to about this please? There's just no ballet justice in this world

@Slubber I do ballet in tracksuit bottoms, and t-shirts

However I do have lovely satin shoes with ribbons, because I always wanted them

I had to stop ballet when I was 7 because the lessons moved to a Sunday and in our house that was a complete no-no. I'd resented it for decades but when the DTs were doing pre-primary four years ago, the ballet teacher set up an adult class. I was really uncomfortable at first as I'd deliberately avoided all proximity to mirrors for best part of 20 years (for good reasons) and would have preferred to start in a burka. I'm now over 50 (not sure how) and you can't stop me dancing - ballet, tap, commercial. Love it. Skirt/dress size down two sizes but can't get any of my nice boots on as I now have humungous calves. Go for it Slubber!

Still PMSL at "useful looking".

Genius.

Do you know what's worse? The "useful looking" was said to me at a young farmer's disco by a be-wellied young man looking to pull.

The exact phrase was "quare strapping, useful looking lassie". Meant, one assumes, as some species of compliment can hike across yonder 16 acre field carrying a wounded heifer on her back and be home in time to cook me my fry

Suffice to say he did not in fact manage to pull

Ok, think I might be sick now. That is one of my favourite compliments ever...

If it makes you feel better, a chap I used to work with thought he'd get attention by inviting me to hooters whilst on a work trip and referring to me as a "red-headed, freckle-faced bog hopper".

Genius.

I would imagine you were simply swept clean off your feet, I mean who wouldn't be?

The Sleeping Beauty ballet is being shown at cinemas in March, if anyone is interested

www.odeon.co.uk/films/the_royal_ballet_the_sleeping_beauty_live_2014/14538/

Oh my, doesn't Carlos have magnificent thighs (especially on the cinema screen!)

This thread is killing my dreams.

When I grow up I WILL be Emma Thompson, or Jennifer Saunders. Or both.

I am 40, it could still happen!

My mother refused ballet lessons for me on the flimsy grounds that it would be really demoralising for me if I put years of work in, and then grew up to be too tall to be a ballerina.

I grew up to be a shortarse who would most definitely not tower over the male leads! Even though I am sure what she meant was "we can't afford it", I feel robbed! Robbed!

Professional I agree about Carlos' thighs. I found them quite mesmerising.

I think I realised by 13 or so that I would only ever Dream of Sadlers Wells, but I still want to marry Sebastian.

I went back to ballet two and a half years ago after a 27 year break! I did my Grade 6 exam recently and passed with merit!!!!
It's never too late, ladies!
I get to wear pink tights and everything.
And [whispers] legwarmers!
There is a grandmother of eight in my class and girls of 16. I am somewhere in the middle.

Well, my DM FORCED me to go to ballet lessons. As the tomboy I was I hated every second of it, couldn't keep time with the music, hated the silly tutu's, pink shoes and fancy dress outfits. Hated the shows. Hated everything, especially having to wear my hair in a bun. She made me go for years (and to tap dancing end elocution lessons).

Much to my DM's disgust, none of this made me in the least bit ladylike (I grew up to be a jockey).

I did it until I was eighteen and wasn't bad actually, although I preferred tap.

Then I went to university, found university ballet incredibly boring and took up ballroom and Latin.

If anybody has 15 years of ballroom/Latin I'll happily swap for my ballet experience (including pointework and honours at Advanced 2)?! I dream of being Karen Hilton...

(I still have my copy of Ballet Shoes on my bookcase and read it every so often. And I wouldn't mind marrying Sebastian either!)

Well, I'M still waiting on my letter from Hogwarts (it'll come, oh yes!)

Was you sunshinemmum?

gotthemoononastick "You do not grow up to be a ballerina.You are born one and you know you have to dance at all costs when you are three" not necessarily so......

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams "If anybody has 15 years of ballroom/Latin I'll happily swap for my ballet experience (including pointework and honours at Advanced 2)?! I dream of being Karen Hilton..." I have about 29 years Ballroom & Latin & a dancing husband (who has had his hop action complimented by Karen Hilton) & I'm no-where near as good as her!!!

Like Pictures DD, my DD is a dancer with only a few year of ballet& off to dance school in September!!!!

slubber that was just my fat fingers.... Fat, non-astronaut fingers!!

I don't know, if I'd started when I was three I might have had a fighting chance No, I'd never be anywhere near as good as that, but it would have made trying to find a dance partner in my early twenties much easier!

Very impressed at your DH's hop action being complimented.

It's not too late to grow up to be Princess Leia and move in with Ewoks is it?

At a conference - she was teaching rumba......obviously it was 'hip' action

I thought it might have been something exciting in the quickstep I'm even more impressed now! I don't like to think how much time and money I've spent trying to get hip action right.