Expert: Jennifer - 6/25/2006

Question
Hi,

thank you so much for your answer.  Maybe three hours is a bit much, so I may cut it down to two hours and maybe four or five days a week.  I have one frusteration though during all this.  At this poitn I am practicing Ballet at home with a video and looking for classes. The frusterating thing is is that I am told to find a good technique school and a good teacher and not the dolly dinkle studios.  What in the hell does this mean.  Most of the studios only do adult beginning ballet once at the most twice a week which is REALLY frusterating, adn how am I supposed to know a good technique teacher/school from the dolly dinkle ones?

I do not want to be a professional, but I want to do this seriously.  It seems that Ballet is the most difficult art form for an adult to follow and progress in seriously.  If an adult of 32 decided to take on a martial arts, he/she will progress for years as well successfully re-shaping his/her physique.  An adult tries to take Ballet and the studios and teachers are either patronizing or discouraging and it seems that progress is looked upon for those only who started while they were a fetus.  It's really annoying.  Any advice or guidance?  Also, do you know of anyone who started as a fairly late adult but ended up being at least a pretty good dancer in the Ballet?  Not professionally, just genreally?  Sometimes some inspiration is a grat motivator.  Thank you again.

Answer
You're welcome!

Your frustration is a very common one. Many adult dancers end up taking the adult classes at 2 or 3 different studios because they cannot find one studio that offers adult class often enough! The availability of classes is very much related to the size and type of city you live in and just the luck of what programs and teachers happen to be active where you live. The hardest part is finding a place where the teachers will take you seriously! The difference between a "Dolly Dinkle" studio and a *good* studio is obviously the level of students that it produces... and I find that a good measure of this is how many older (meaning teenaged/high school level) ballet students the school retains. A Dolly Dinkle school typically will just teach very basic ballet, jazz, and tap to small children, not to train girls for ballet as a career, but just to produce cute recitals with cute costumes of the year -- and most of the dancers at this type of school will drop out by the time they turn 12 or 13. A good technique school will still have very active advanced students and may even send students on to dance for professional companies. Simply asking the teacher at a studio about the future of their students with dance and what sort of classes they offer will tell you a lot about the level of teaching. Also, never take an adult ballet class that is less than an hour long -- an hour and a half to 2 hours is idea. You might find some 1 hour combined ballet/jazz classes... those will do nothing for you.

However, even if you are able to find a high quality studio for children, that doesn't mean they take their adult students seriously. You will just have to talk to each studio, and try out a few classes, to determine whether they take their adult students seriously, or if it is just a class for their young students parents to take to stay fit.

I have found the most luck going to venues where the adult student is the norm -- namely community colleges and universities. I don't know where you live, but nearly all community colleges and universities with a dance program will offer beginning classes as well! That is where I re-discovered ballet as a an adult, and it is where I continue to take classes. I took a beginning ballet class at the University of Oklahoma at 19, and I currently take class at a branch of the Dallas Community College District. The level of teaching is very high, and classes are offered often enough that you can make some real progress with your teacher of the course of a semester... and I've even been able to perform with their resident dance company -- a fantastic experience! I suggest that you look into such a program if they exist in your area.

You might also talk to the employees or owners of local dance shops -- they will typically have a lot of contact with local studios and dance programs, and might be able to help you find out where to start. That's how I discovered the community college program I'm currently dancing with - I met someone who was already in the program while working at a dance shop.

Finally -- I know and know of lots of adult beginners who are very satisfied with their level of technique and progress -- everyone that I danced with in the last show I was in are great examples... we put on a great show for a bunch of adults who have day jobs! I also know of a San Diego dancer who never took class seriously until she was 27... and went on to be a prolific ballet teacher and even was able to perform some. There is also a gentleman in Massachusetts that I know that didn't become serious about his dancing until 18 or 19 and was able to dance in a small professional company in the northeast by his mid to late 20s!

I wish you luck in finding the right studio for you. It may take you some time, but you'll find a place that fits your goals! You may have to start out in classes that are less than ideal... but keep up the search! Please let me know what you find and if there is any way I can help you find what you need. It's very exciting starting on a new journey! Good luck!