Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 1/8/2008

Question
Hello. My name is Jearim and I am totally in love with ballet, since I first danced I felt like it was the right place to be for me,besides, there are some questions I'd like to ask.First;I am 16 years old and I just have one year training,I am very flexible but I don't have all the training and technique yet; can I aspire to attend a summer program even though I don't do points yet?...many people have told me that I am too fat to dance ballet (110 pounds), is that true? how much do I have to weight?...I am, now, attending 2 1/2 hours per week, do I need to train more??
thank you!

Answer
Hi Jearim. I cannot answer as to whether you are "fat" at 110 pounds, though I doubt it. It would be relative to how tall you are, and whether you have a very slight skeleton or a more moderate one. Also, muscle weighs more than fat, and ballet training creates muscle. The fact that you are not terribly skinny looking doesn't matter now - you have not finished growing yet.

You definitely could attend a summer program. Pointe work should not be mandatory for someone with one year of training. If it were, definitely pick a different program!

You would normally be assessed for doing pointe work after 3 years of training, and if you had worked up to three classes a week. However, every student is different, so that varies.

If you would like, go to the site http://www.theballetstore.com There are many articles to read on ballet technique, strengthening the feet for pointe work, turnout, and more. Some are on the blog area. There is  a ballet glossary too. There are articles about good diet for dance. If you eat well, you'll have good muscles and won't store fat.

One of the books presented on the site, at the main page, is The Perfect Pointe Book.

This book is an amazing collection of info on technique for pre-pointe, and includes almost everything - feet, turnout, posture, with anatomy, photos, and very detailed descriptions. The author is a dance medicine specialist and she writes very clearly and knows exactly what ballet students need to know about muscle function. I recommend it to every serious student. It's a great guide with included charts for keeping track of your progress.

I would start looking for a good summer program now. And do extra work at home, after careful study of course, to give yourself a chance to progress. And remember, rest, relaxation and stretching for muscles is as important as hard work!

All the best, Dianne.

Sorry for the delay in answering, I had trouble with my internet connection till late this evening.

A brief follow up - I've recommended to almost everyone to read my articles and blog entries at http://www.theballetstore.com You have to create a user name to log in to see all the blog entries - your privacy is safe! I really apologize that I didn't tell you this - I'm not a technical person!