Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 2/10/2009

Question
Hello Dianne,
My daughter, who is currently 20 years old, danced up to a grade 7 and worked en pointe up until around 5 years ago when she was involved in a car accident.
She would be mortified if she knew I was telling somebody on the internet this, but afterwards she put on a lot of weight, and has lost any flexibility she once had.
Recently she has gotten down to 8 stone (She is 4 ft 10 inches) and I know she's been looking to get back into dancing, though I also know that she doesn't think it would be possible.
I was wondering what you thought - could she do it, and would she have to lose any more weight? I'm sure that dancing would encourage her to do so and, more importantly, get fit again.
I really want to enourage her in this, but I don't want to give her any false hope. Especially when it comes to going back en pointe, as I know this is what she misses the most.

Kind Regards.

Answer
Hi Ann. I'll give you my thoughts on this, but please take into consideration that I don't know what your daughter's innate talent for ballet is. Also I'm assuming that she did not sustain permanent injuries in the car accident you mentioned.

If she asked me herself about this, I would recommend that she took two to three classes a week for 6 months, letting her teachers know what her goals are, and then evaluating her progress. Her weight may adjust, if needed, with the exercise and artistic fulfillment, and not need to be specifically addressed.

If at that time she determines that she cannot perform ballet as a professional she may want to go on to a related career in ballet teaching, or dance medicine, for example, and further map out her plans from there.

I hope this helps you. All the best, Dianne