Hi all.
I'm 20 and just started my first professional season as a member of the corps de ballet in a company in russia. i graduated from a ballet school this year. Ive been contemplating quitting ballet and don't know if it's worth it to stay the whole year or if i should leave now.

I'm incredibly burnt out from years of mental abuse, comments, and long work days with no reward. I've been in my new company for almost 2 months and it's been very rough. i hate the way we rehearse things. we're expected to learn rep through a video and immediately run through the dances perfectly at rehearsal. we don't get told who's place to learn so we're put in randomly and expected to know it perfectly so it's very stressful. on top of that i've been told to lose weight many times and got told the third time if i don't lose weight i'll be fired. (first two times were in the span of two weeks like that's not enough time😭) i haven't taken my shirt off since the first time i got told to lose weight.

i've never enjoyed the performing aspect of this career. i liked ballet because there's always something to work on and improve and i loved that battle. but performing always gave me lots of stress as a perfectionist and i've never enjoyed being on stage.
this summer i had a period of time where i didn't dance for a bit and it was the most free ive felt in a while. i enjoyed going to pilates more this summer than going to the studio.
to be clear- my schedule here is very chill from what i thought it would be. we finish latest around 2:30 with rehearsals (start class at 10). and because im so mentally drained i come home and crash, i don't even have energy to go to the store for food. and yes im sleeping enough. so it's not physical.

also, in the time i started dancing here ive acquired two injuries from stress. so physically i also have a reason. when im stressed i get inflamed and now my old inflamed injuries have returned.

everyday has become more increasingly difficult to go into work and i just don't know if its worth it to stay the whole year for the experience and to say that i danced professionally. (in the case that i decide to return to this profession as a teacher)
i know how privileged i am to have received an offer into the corps straight out of school and i genuinely love ballet but i just don't think the pay off is worth it. i have no life when im dancing, even with a seemingly lax schedule. my whole worth depends on what role i get or how well my rehearsal went and im just so over worrying about my body and others perceptions of me. i'm just scared of losing this position i have and the praise that comes with it back home. i don't care for anything else unfortunately.

id like some advice or thoughts on this- former dancers or current or any outsider looking in. i dont know what to do. my parents are very supportive and are with me in any decision i make.

From someone who has just started this sport at the ripe old age of 21, and is constantly fighting what her body has given her to try and keep up, I’m so proud of you all.

This sport is already so difficult, to the point where training as a young mouldable child is necessary to succeed professionally. And to have the courage and strength to look at that and try it as a fulling formed adult is so incredible.

My knees ache when I bend, my lungs are week due to asthma, back bends make me sore for days, my ankles roll due to the natural formation of my feet, my calves and hips are chronically tight, and my hamstring is injured and not as flexible as it would have been in elementary school. It’s so hard to look at something you want so badly and be told by people that you’re too old to accomplish it. But many of you do it anyway, purely out of love of it or because you want to prove to yourself that you’re capable of great things too.

So this just an acknowledgment from a fellow adult beginner, to all the beginners and established dancers who were once a grown adult trying something new for the first time. You’re so strong, and despite the hard days (and weeks, I’m going through a rut of discouragement myself) I hope you’re still able to push through and do what you love and what brings you joy and purpose. You’re doing so well, every single one of you. Keep on dancing💗

Meant to post this earlier, but forgot to lol. A little more than a week ago, I went to see Swan Lake at the Oregon Ballet Theater with a couple of friends. We've been talking about wanting to go for a while and I got the whole thing arranged, while my good friend bought a pass so we'd get good seats at a reasonable price.

I did a bit of research and watched a bit of other performances on Youtube, but went in mostly blind.

I was blown away. It was so beautiful and cool! I dabble in poetry, and to me it was like multiple poems within a poem, each with their own stanzas and technique. Each move the dancers undertook was like a word being written onto the page with several, graceful strokes of a pen, which all made up a sentence, and eventually a stanza of the poem for the act. Zooming out, each act "poem" was a stanza for the entire Swan Lake poem. I imagine the interpretation and performance also varies with the pedagogy of the school and director, like how two poets, let's say one Beat and one romantic, may see something like a window or a gravestone and write something completely different yet still valid, meaning something to each of them.

I apologize if this makes no sense, if it's a second-rate, pretentious, surface-level evaluation or if it's cornball as hell lol. I never grew up with ballet so have little knowledge or context other than from what little research I did before going in.

All in all, I guess my enjoyment boils down to "it's sick as hell, and I want more." I'm excited for the day when I have experienced and enjoyed enough ballet to be able to elaborate on my enjoyment in more detail than that.

My friends really enjoyed it too! If I'm still in town (looking for a job rn lol so I'll move anywhere), we plan to see The Nutcracker when tix are on sale!

Funny side note, I wore a shirt of a hardcore band to the performance since there was no prescribed dress code, and a few people in the audience were staring at my shirt as we left, just kinda funny lol

I (25 F) am a freelance professional ballet/contemporary dancer in a large US city. I trained at a ballet school, then got my BFA from a high-ranking institution. During my time, I faced injury and mental health issues that made me move back home with my parents and rebuild my life. It has been 3 years since I graduated. During that time, I worked with several part-time companies and gigs. I would take other part-time work to pay for everything else. I have gotten to the point where I don't want to do it anymore. I still live with my parents because none of these jobs pay well, and I am just barely making ends meet. I have gone from audition to audition and constant reaching out, and I am just feeling so tired. I have also had to put a hold on a lot of other interests/hobbies such as travel, painting, and just being a more present person in general. At this point, I do not feel like I'm doing it for love anymore, but because I know nothing else and have a hard time letting go of dance. It's something I worked so hard for, and my family and I have dedicated so much time, energy, and money. I feel like I am letting down my teachers, my family, and myself. Sometimes I can't help but feel so alone in this feeling. Does anyone else struggle with this? I would love to hear other people's stories or experiences, or advice!

I created this from a combination of my own clothes, Etsy corset, flowers from the craft store, and cvs hair to give my hair deshabille volume 😎🤌

My daughter (8) has done ballet for four years with a mid size nonprofit company which mostly focuses on enjoying and learning and isn’t super competitive. My daughter tried out for conservatory this year and got in. Practice is three times a week and is a lot of barre and drills instead of choreography. The program is September to May. She’s been complaining since about week 3 that’s she’s bored, she hates it and she has no free time. My daughter has adhd so I need her to be able to do some sport pretty regularly. It helps a lot with her sleep and general mood. I keep telling her she committed to this in hopes she will stay but I don’t know when is a reasonable time to quit.

Edit: today she loved class. 😆

I appreciate the replies. I think what I’ve gathered is set a reasonable time limit, see how it goes until then but balance her opinions with my parenting philosophy. I want her to learn discipline and commitment. Her new teacher is more strict and they do expect more from her. She also does hip hop, jazz and goes to a performing arts school so worth thinking about burnout. I think we’ll have a clearer picture in the new year. 🙂

Hi, everyone! I'm a returning ballet dancer and, while previously I didn't train in any definitive method due to countryside town, am now training in the RAD method.

My teacher corrected me a few times about this and I guess I understand in theory and I can replicate during class but outside I can't remember what it is like so I come back and I immediately go back to my old habits.

She says my port de bras should lead from the pinky fingers, not the thumb. I suppose I turn my hand down to change positions and this is what I am not supposed to do? Like I said during class I can get the correction and try to stick to it but as soon as I leave I am like... wait so what's the correct way again/how different am I doing? type of situation. She also says I have sandwich-holding hands, but this I get it's about tucking the thumbs in, right?

So does anyone have tips for me please? I would like not to be corrected again for 10th time of the same thing lol :(

Hi everyone! I haven’t measured myself since gaining weight but I’m roughly a UK22–24 (46-42-47 inches) i think. I plan to start weekly lessons again but I donated my old smaller leotards a while back. My search for sleeved leotards that provide some coverage for my back (I always wear a sports bra and the low back designs feel less comfortable for me) has been tough, made even tougher by me wanting it in a darker colour.

I found the curvy range by so danca but they don’t deliver internationally. I tried C&V since it’s local to me and I love Min’s designs, but the current designs available are sleeveless or a bit too lightly coloured (and I’d get too self conscious of my body during class to really concentrate well). Imperfect Pointes has a We Got Boobs range which helps and will most likely be my last ditch option here, as it’s nearly $200 a piece to have it delivered internationally. I can’t find any on Etsy that goes up to my size either.

I used to buy plus sized leos from Move Dancewear but now the largest sizes available (XXL) are about 20cm smaller in circumference. I’m not sure if their leotards are stretchy enough for me to still fit in them?

Would love some advice or suggestions if anyone has any, please and thank you! 🙏🏻

I was diagnosed back in August and took two weeks off, did therapy exercises and it felt fine for a while but I'm having a flare up now and realising this process is going to take a lot more time and care.

I'm wondering if anyone has healed from this condition and if they have any tips, apparently its more rare in dancers but can be caused by bad flooring, temperature changes, fishing/winging the foot. All factors where I dance. I'm also a teacher so my tendons are often hot and cold when demonstrating.

Anyway, I'm really bummed out about it, not being able to do what I love and watching other people do it nearly brings me to tears sometimes. Especially when the pain is bad. I understand it might be a long journey, up to 18 months.

I used to have almost high legs. my right leg was at 90 sharp. left one at 130-140

now

I’ve been away for almost 6 months. by that I mean I did classes but not adagio.

And I have my exams in 2 months.

I need a way to get my legs back up and higher. I know there are ways to make body remember and I really want that. Does anyone have any tips to help me?

I bought a used leo of off vinted for over 25€ and It came with a period stain which I hadn’t known about. I it’s very light and is only on the lining but I don’t think I would’ve bought it for that much had I known about the stain, I certainly wouldn’t have sold a leo like that without explicitly mentioning it in the description.
Should I report it or is it too unserious to bother, I, for some reason can’t quite decide this one time 😔

P. S. Thanks for all the commenters letting me know I wasn’t overreacting! I’ll reach out to vinted

hi everyone! I’m currently writing a research paper on ballets standards and their relationship to disordered eating habits, and I was wondering if you guys would be able to help me out! there’s only a few questions and it’s completely anonymous and most of the questions are optional so you can answer as little or as many as you would like. thank you guys so much I appreciate it!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_pXiTrr8Oec5uH4ALTPtmMxbGjwjRwYqo-o01uYn0fZRo9A/viewform

Hiiii! I just want to share that I'm very happy with my new shoes, no leather, no ribbons and split sole! I followed all the recommendations and they actually feel so much better. This time, the lady at the dancewear store knew exactly what she was talking about <3

Hey everyone, Happy Dancewear Monday! Please feel free in posting a picture of your dancewear style, your new dancewear purchase, your cute warmups, etc. Just a reminder of the guidelines:

1) It is recommended to blur out your face if you want to keep some anonymity.

2) Please list what brands you are wearing in the comments in case other users want to know where you found stuff.

3) All Dancewear Mondays will be NO CRITICISM with regards to ballet. So if someone posts a picture of them in arabesque being like “look at my cute leg warmers” DO NOT comment “Looks great but you should turn out more”. We don’t care if your intentions are good and you are just trying to help, on this subreddit critique is only given when explicitly asked for. If you wouldn’t say it to someone in class don’t comment it on here. (And if you would tell a fellow dancer to turn out more, or something, randomly in class well that just reflects poorly on you).

4) New users who have low comment karma: your post will be filtered into a queue and need to be mod approved, so please be patient if your post does not appear right away.

5) Use the Dancewear Monday flair

Thanks :)

i’ve been wearing the bloch flexus for about a year now, and recently i’ve noticed that they have gotten significantly harder than they used to be. I used to wear freeds so i do like them pretty soft, but i have been needing to go to such extreme lengths just to bend it at all (spraying the shank and box with a lot of water). i have asked someone else who wears them and she agrees that they have been weirdly hard. my last pair completely snapped in half just trying to bend it. does anyone know what’s happening/have the same experience?

as an aside: the customer service person was so rude with those shoes and would not listen to me about the shoes breaking as it is very out of the ordinary (and a waste of $100). she kept just telling me that they are “not made to bend that much”. they’re pointe shoes they should bend…

i have signed up for my first intensive !!! it's going to be a short one, 2 mornings in hong kong . but i am so excited !!! anyone else also going? i am going to be in the adult beginner one ❤️

i'd also appreciate if anyone can share their experience with BWI intensives ! i have heard some negative ones about theirs being cancelled last minute, but hopefully it won't happen on me 🤞

I am writing a song about Ballet Dancers. I've always enjoyed the Art & physicality of Dancers. They are Elite. I am looking for insight to draw inspiration from. Something the inside world of ballet would know & find meaningful. I will gladly share the song here when complete d. Thank You...Kindly...feel free to message me as well...

Has anyone here purchased custom FR Duvals and/or know how long it took them to make them?

Not each dance is equal to another, in terms of how much you can learn and how serious it is.

Which dances would you consider the most serious, those give the best foundation for quickly learning any other dance?

Ballet is one of them, obviously, what else?

Hello, I’m not a ballet dancer but I’m in the process of outlining a screenplay about this art form, and I was wondering if any of you might be willing to share not only your experiences as a ballet dancer, but specifically if there’s anything you do before you perform that you feel you MUST do in order to have a good show?

Any and all information, stories, etc would be greatly appreciated. I’m trying to make my script as authentic as possible.

Thanks!

i did not do ballet, i was never “limber enough” when we had tried to put me in dance practices. i would love to put my eventual daughter in ballet when i do end up having one.

those of you who were put into ballet as young children and are current performers/ex performers: do you regret this decision? do you wish your parents had waited until you were a little older so they could confide in you with this?

i know the technique changes your feet and more than enough stores i’ve seen express regret in this but i wanted to ask before i fully decide to go through with this want.

obviously if my child express not wanting to do this then that’s the end of that but i always assumed it was like sports, it’s easier/better to start as early as possible - especially in terms of professional careers down the line.

thank you so much in advanced and i promise i mean this question and comments with as much respect as i can muster. i love ballet and think it is one of the most beautiful art forms around, i personally regret not striving to push my parents more into letting me learn and try.

edit !!

to everyone replying about my own need and want to do this myself! I HAD NO IDEA FLEXIBILITY DIDNT COME INTO PLAY UNTIL LATER!! :) imagine being told your whole life you can’t do something because you aren’t flexible enough! you 100% give up! so yes, it is wonderful to know that i can indeed do this myself as well in a more professional setting instead of mimicking what is see in my bedroom! it’s AMAZING to know this information now and you can 100% be kinder about it seeing as how i am now telling you i didn’t know!