Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 1/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello!

I am 20 years old, and very interested in ballet. I danced a lot when I was younger, ages 6-10, and then I danced in a show choir from ages 15-18. I have a lot of free time to devote to practice, strength and flexibility exercises. If I decide to work toward this goal, I'll go for it full time. I am flexible already, and I am passionate and a hard worker. Do you think I have any chance of becoming a professional if I work my butt off?

Thanks for your time.

ANSWER: Hi Lisa. I can't really give an opinion on this since I don't know what your earlier training was like. In a professional program you may find yourself re-learning a lot. But, maybe not.

I can recommend that you find a post-secondary professional program and work full time for a year. With professional feedback, you'll get an idea of whether or not you should proceed with the idea of dancing ballet professionally.

Bear in mind that your competition will be young adults who have trained full time for 8-10 years.

I trained university students who worked very hard at ballet for 4 years, starting as complete beginners. Not one went on to perform ballet professionally, however several went on to excel in modern dance because of their fine ballet technique, and excellent teachers in both ballet and modern dance training. Several also became leading artistic directors and choreographers, in modern dance.

Also bear in mind that there is always a lot of politicking, mentor relationship building, and general people skills involved in who succeeds and who does not. And men usually do better at this in ballet because their numbers are smaller.

There are exceptions to every norm Lisa, and you may be one. Hard work is a huge factor in success, and you sound like you have physical assets on your side. I think you should definitely try a year at full time ballet study, and rate your progress then. At that point, if you decide to major in modern dance, or work for an academic dance degree of some kind, you will only be ahead.

I also recommend The Perfect Pointe Book; the author's link is at http://www.theballetstore.com on the home page. It is a good guide with which to review your basic technical accuracy with your posture, turnout, balance and basic ballet positions. It is a download with photos and videos as well. Anatomy and mechanics are presented so that ballet students can get a head start at understanding exactly what they need to progress faster, safely, with precise self-assessment guides. I think you would do well with this, as you are self-motivated.

I hope this helps! All the best, Dianne



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your answer! It was really helpful, and I think I will do just what you said: work at it full time for a year, and then evaluate where I am and where I should go. What are the steps I should take in the coming year? I know I should find a good ballet school, but how many classes a week should I start at, and how many should I work up to? Should I enroll in an adult beginners class (or more)? How can I build my strength and flexibility in these next few months, before I can start classes? How many hours a day can I practice at home without hurting myself? What is a post-secondary professional program? Is that at a college or at a ballet academy?

Thanks so much! I have a lot of questions, I know! I just really want to dedicate myself to this. :)

ANSWER: Yes, starting adult ballet classes right away is a good idea. Let the teacher know that are planning to train full time. Also, you may be placed into another class once the teacher sees what you can do. Pilates is an excellent type of workout for you, both for strength and stretching. You may find a dance academy with Pilates or other types of cross training.

It does not hurt to do a class every day, 5-6 days a week, or two classes a day. You can add The Perfect Pointe Book exercises to this. Be sure to relax your muscles after every class.

You can do this type of training while you find out what possibilities are in a dance department, there are many. Some ballet schools (like The National Ballet School of Canada) run programs in conjunction with dance departments. By post-secondary, yes I mean a college or ballet school program that will result in some kind of credential.

You can practice at home and you don't need to do hours of this. The more you do in class the better. Extra stretching done gently, a few foot exercises, and relaxing the muscles at the end of the day is important.

Visit the ballet schools near you and see what they offer. Or call around and explain what you are looking for, and use the internet. You'll find a lot of schools on line.

Happy New Year!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply!

Do ballet schools like Riverside Ballet Arts have credential programs? How would I find out if a school has a credential program? Why is a credential program better than one without? What is the difference? Do credential programs involve grading? What is the best of the least-expensive options? Do you know of any good ballet schools in the Inland Empire/Riverside area of Southern California? Would it be okay for me to use Pilates or ballet workout dvds to build strength? I just want to find some way to make all this somewhat more affordable.

Thank you for your time. :)

Answer
Hi Lisa. If you are going to try becoming a professional you need to go to the most professional ballet you can. Riverside Ballet Arts may be that. Is it associated with Riverside Ballet Company?  Because they have dancers and teachers of very good repute.

You must start with classes before you can use home DVDs properly. There is no substitute for working under a teacher's direction.

Credential programs are necessary if you need to earn a living teaching teaching either during or after a performing career. Otherwise years of study in dance will not lead you to any kind of career. Yes, there is grading such as in Cecchetti or R.A.D. training. In college programs there are the usual requirements to graduate.

I don't know about "least-expensive" in ballet. USC Irvine has a dance Department. You can find out anything on line, including the phone numbers and call them. There may or may not be auditions to be accepted.

Call these places Lisa and find out directly. And get into a class, if only once a week as soon as you can, so that you are getting some direct experience while you continue to formulate a plan.

Happy New Year!