Ballet - is it more trouble than it's worth?

[FruityPops]

I've read newspaper articles about ballet encouraging anorexia, wrecking toes and causing arthritis in ankles. Is it worth bothering with, or are other forms of dance better for promoting good health and having fun?

Bloody hell, Fruity! Do you believe everything you read in the papers?

I love ballet and I very, very nearly got into ballet school via audition - they turned me down saying my shoulders were uneven! :(

Anyway, I did ballet from 4-16, up to senior level.

My ankles and feet are, in all honesty, absolutely fucked. I am 33 now and I struggle walking more than a few hours as I can feel the pain in my feet. I have seen a specialist etc etc.

However, some people have no issues at all.

It is very much luck of the draw. And it is an amazing hobby / vocation.

Also a child doing 2 lessons a week for example is very different to the 5 lessons I was doing, I was really really into it. A lesson or two a week won't do any harm at all provided they have an excellent teacher if they progress onto pointe.

My 17 year old daughter has beautiful posture and great core strength, thanks to ballet!

I suppose it depends how far you want to take it really. Children's ballet classes can be really fun if you find a good teacher.

My mother was a ballet dancer and she has wrecked feet. No anorexia as far as I'm aware, but she had a naturally perfect body for ballet.

I did ballet as a child and loved it. I also did tap and modern which I liked less. Of course there are lots of other types of dance available now, so I reckon the best thing to do would be to try a few and see what your DC likes best?

Totally depends on child, age, teacher, etc. DD loves it and she started age 4 after she'd had her leg in full plaster for 2 months and had lost all her physical confidence. It did wonders for her and she really enjoys it. Tap as well. Depends how obsessive they get about it.

Do karate instead.

Good health, fun, body awareness, coordination, control, strength, posture, etc.

And a side effect of being able to punch anyone who tries to hurt you.

Like previous poster, I think it depends on the level of involvement. My best friend at school did ballet five times a week and then went on to the RoyalBallet to do the teaching course there. Her feet were totally wrecked and she definitely felt very much under pressure to keep her weight very low. In the end she dropped out and went to college instead.
Think it depends on the person with regards the weight issues, but think it probably does ruin your feet if you regularly dance en pointe.

There are obviously issues at the top level of ballet as there are with anything physically demanding like professional sports. That is completely different to children doing ballet lessons for fun and to enjoy dancing. It is the basis for many other forms of dance and not many take it to the level you have read about in the papers.

I love ballet and took it for several years. I quit before I was en pointe (12). I did have friends who had those problems, but only when ballet became all-consuming for them. Not unlike any other sport.

Most of the problems amateurs have with their feet are caused by poorly fitting pointe shoes with ill fitting ribbons and progressing onto centre work without first achieving core strength and balance on demi pointe at the edge of the room, using the bar.

Often young dc are so keen to get onto pointe that they don't develop their muscles properly first and just do too much too soon.

Thanks for your replies everyone. My friend was really into ballet but stopped when she was sixteen because she was the wrong body shape (big built and tall), and said it had given her arthritis in her ankles. I want my children to be active and to feel good about themselves, and also to have good posture. I also heard tap dancing and line dancing are bad for the knees, but I don't know if that's true.

One of my over-sixties keep-fit friends is extremely fit and active, with beautiful posture and good figure. She skies every winter, plays badminton and generally enjoys retirement. We all wondered how she has kept so trim and active (she is over seventy).

Turns out she was a ballet dancer, went to ballet school and would have danced professionally if she hadn't given it up to get married and have a family. Seems to have no problem with arthritis etc.

A Saturday morning class isn't going to wreck her feet but as above - I did intensive classes and was put on pointe way to young < think this practice has now stopped though> and have wrecked toe joints.

I do walk beautifully though and have some beautiful gestures - not sure its worth the pain in my feet though :)

I think it's the same as anything else - if you overdo it, you are going to get problems. Any dancers I know have horrific feet and a couple have ankle problems, but these are women who have done much much more than a class or two a week.

I think it is very good for core strength and does wonders for posture & grace... it doesn't mean they can't do other things as well, such as judo/football/climbing trees.

Just, two things - find a teacher that LIKES children and makes it FUN < some take themselves far too seriously and put children off doing it AND as others have said, if she starts to take it seriously, ask for lots of advice before gearing it up.