Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 8/27/2007

Question
What good does ballet do for you? Does ballet make you taller? Does it give you good posture? I'm an 11 year old that took ballet when I was 5 and Tae-Bo too. I took gymnastics for 2 years and had just quit. My mother told me that there is a ballet studio near her job. The reason I quit gymnastics was because my father told me I was too old. And he tells me that there are age limits for gymnastics. And that there isn't an age limit for ballet. I want to know the pros and cons for taking ballet. Does it give you a flat stomach? Or make your legs skinnier? Should I go for it, or just say no?

Answer
Hi Roselyn. It depends on whether you think you will like it or not. Do you enjoy watching ballet?

Ballet is a great workout. It takes a lot of discipline, has a lot more detail to it than gymnastics, and does elongate the muscles as opposed to bulking them up, if practised properly.

It sounds like it is convenient for your mother to get you to classes since it is near her job. That is important. The study of ballet requires consistent attendance for you to feel progress.

It all comes down to will you like it? It's hard work and can be very rewarding.

I hope that helps.

All the best, Dianne

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!