Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 11/29/2007

Question
Hi. I'm not positive if I'm asking the right person, but it's worth a shot.
I used to do ballet when I was about 5 or 6, but I quit. I regret that sooo much.
I'm 13 now, and I asked my mom if I could restart. She said no, because I'm too heavy and too old. I'm 5'5 and I weigh about 115. Is this too heavy? I'm not trying to be a professional, but I love ballet, and I wish there was a way I could try to start without fighting with her about me being too fat. She'll probably just try to get me to play violin again, but I really want to dance.
Please respond, I'm desperate here. I'm SO sorry if I'm not asking the right person, but I really want to know.

Answer
Hi Ivy. I'm sorry you and your mom are fighting about this. She may be trying to protect you from investing time and energy into something that won't be a professional venue for you, as all parents do.

For the sheer love of ballet, your height and weight do not matter. You certainly are not fat. Taking lessons now would be fine, hopefully with a good studio.

However, it really is up to your mom. I hope you too can come to a peaceful agreement over this. Ballet is a healthy workout and great mental training too. But perhaps your mom sees some talent in your violin playing? I can only guess at the actual situation, and I wish you the best on this!

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!