Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 11/24/2007

Question
QUESTION: i'm twelve and i would like to begin ballet lessons am i too old?

ANSWER: Hi Giulia. You are not too old to begin ballet, you are at a good age. If you are serious about becoming a professional, go to the most professional school you can find. I have some articles on http://www.ezinearticles.com about how to choose a ballet teacher. Just put my name in the search field on their site. You would want to find a really excellent school where you can get the best training, and where the standards are realistic so that you can tell if you want to continue.

All the best!Dianne

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

QUESTION: hi i'm going to begin ballet lessons but i'm afraid i don't have a lot of time to study ballet.how much ballet do i have to study every day

Answer
I don't know what your goals are, with ballet. I think you should just start, learn and choose one or two strengthening exercises to do every day at home. For instance, most ballet classes teach an exercise for strengthening the abdominal - your stomach muscles, and maybe a stretch you can do at home. You need to do some classes first and see where you might need to a little extra work - just a few minutes a day - at home.

At http://www.theballetstore.com, there is a ballet glossary. You can learn some of the words there if you don't understand what your teacher is talking about in class. Don't worry about it too much - just enjoy!