I am an adult learner, and it’s been almost three years since my first class. I’ve been taking at least five classes a week (90 minutes each), including one semi-private lesson since last year. I work 9-5, so this is a huge commitment for me, both mentally and physically.

Yes, I’ve improved a lot, but I feel this still isn’t nearly enough training for me to actually "dance". I feel a bit hopeless when I look at myself, and also when I see other adult dancers who have been doing ballet for 5-10 years and still struggle to do even one great turn.

Is this the reality I need to accept, or is there hope if I just keep going?

Hi everyone - I’d like to ask you for some advice / your opinion on the following:

My daughter is due to take her RAD Grade 1 in a month. She has however, been put down for the class award even though she got a distiction in Primary and since she practises at home quite often, is absolutely as good as any of those entered for the actual exam if not better than most (simply a matter of recall as she knows the syllabus like the back of her hand now).

I asked the teacher why she’d put her down for class award and she said the idea had been made weeks before the submission - even though my daughter was showing rapid improvement and total recall by submission date.

I feel it’s simply a matter of keeping old groupings / a lesson taught us due to having missed one exam lesson at the start. I’m having trouble understanding why we are paying for two classes a week for a class award especially as those doing the award get close to no feedback in class with all feedback being given to 2 or 3 students who are seemingly being coached to distinction (though seem far off atm). My daughter is getting discouraged with lack of feedback even though she is the only one in some dances with total recall and secure technique. What would you suggest I do in this matter and is it not possible for a teacher to make last minute adjustments and switch a kid from class award to exam?

I'm a 25yo adult returner to ballet. I've been dancing again for 2.5 years and on pointe for 1 year, after working pretty hard to get strong enough. I am now perfectly capable of working en pointe, can relevé to 5th comfortably off the barre, can bourée in all directions in center, can do échappées at the barre without too much trouble etc... but I can't rise slowly onto pointe. I get 'stuck' on demi pointe, sometimes a little bit beyond, and have to either 'pop' one foot at a time onto pointe or relevé. We do rises in class every week and I've never been able to do a single one.

My teachers initially thought it might be a strength issue, so they gave me strengthening exercises for my toes and calf rises to do, but after observing me in class, they are confused because my feet are very strong in every other aspect en pointe. They then thought it could be the vamp, but I lowered it and it made no difference. We looked at shank hardness too but I've had three different shank strengths and no luck.

Has anyone had this issue before or has any advice for less traditional strengthening exercises for the forefoot/toes? I do all the more common ones and am getting no closer to being able to rise onto pointe.

TIA!

Hii, so I wanna buy a nikolay leotard but I have no idea what size to get. I’m 5’3 and 100 lbs, and for reference I wear xs yumiko leos. Could anyone help?

this is kind of a follow-up to my post ~3 months ago, asking for advice.

i have a short list of programs that I want to audition for, if anyone has done these in recent years please tell me your experience!

A&A Ballet

Ellison Ballet

Joffery Ballet (Chicago)

Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory

Royal Winnipeg Ballet

I know that Joffery and Ellison are both high reaches, as well as I probably couldn't attend without a scholarship, but may as well throw an audition at 'em.

I've seen a couple posts recently of people complaining about pointe shoe fit and saying that someone else sewed them-you need to sew your shoes yourself, ESPECIALLY if you are a beginner of any age! Minor fit issues-slight twist in the shank, a baggy heel, a wonky shoe profile-can be solved by the way you put on your ribbon and elastic, which you will only figure out if you do it yourself. Save yourself a refitting you might not need, take 30 minutes, and sew your own shoes.

A random idea I jotted down and wanna put out to the world...So Nutcracker Suite is THE Christmas ballet. But what about a Halloween ballet, with a "Candy Court" in the land of Trick-or-Treat? A Lollipop Princess, Chocolate Prince, etc. And then you have one unloved Licorice Prince/Princess, and the narrative arc is about them running into a human child and falling in love together and maybe foiling some sort of evil plot by a corrupt vizier. or something like that?

My right foot bunion hurt so much today I had to quit halfway thru my weekly pointe class. This pain is specifically when I have to go thru half toe to roll up to being on pointe. Once on pointe, there's no pain. It's specifically the transition to getting there that really hurts. I already use a toe spacer, but my feet are ultra compressible. I surmise that on my right foot the pain might have started when I started forming my ankles more to be aligned correctly in the shoe, but incorrectly as I'd roll up with the entire weight on my right big toe. What do you guys do to mitigate this pain or take care of it? I work out my toes enough that I can spread, dome, and articulate. I used Ibuprofen before class but maybe I need to ice or stop pointe? How long do I ice for? Do I need a much wider toe spacer?

Hi all~ I found Dr Wolff on google as he's a surgeon for many dancers in the Washington Ballet, but he only does out-of-network payments. Does anyone have any recommendations of surgeons who specialize in hip labral tears and who have experience working with dancers? After more than 15 years of both of my hips being torn and having to stop dancing all together for the last 8, I really want to make sure I'm in good hands as I take this leap💖

I'm also currently trying to decide between keeping my insurance in LA and going with a surgeon there who is very kind but doesn't do arthroscopies with small incisions, and then fly back here to heal/do PT, or to find a surgeon here and try to get on Maryland insurance. It's so much to think about!🥲

I have achilles pain everytime I exercise, I don't think I have an injury, but I don't understand why they hurt me when the rest of my feet doesn't hurt at all. Anyone more here with achilles pain?

I started ballet as a young adult about 2 years ago, and I’ve noticed some kinda weird stigmas or assumptions made about me. Idk if it’s just the general “your generation is weak” assumption or what, but it can be a bit distracting.

I tend to do things that are not accepted as “ballet etiquette” because of my conditions so some people think I think I’m special or something, but they are usually necessary things for my conditions.

Examples:

• having to sit out and lie down every now and again (surgeon told me to)

• having to leave maybe once or twice during class to use the bathroom (better than peeing on the floor lol)

• not being able to help lift the barres (ik, really bad look because I’m the youngest, but I’m not allowed to lift right now)

• forgetting combos and being socially “slow” (exercise temporarily messes with my cognition due to my condition - it can be pretty significant to where I have to sit in the parking lot before I drive) this is terrible because I can even act a bit childish, but it’s literally due to a combo of metabolic/immune issues

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You may be wondering if I am medically cleared for ballet, the answer is sometimes. Overall it’s probably not great for my health, but I love it way too much to quit.

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The two of the teachers know I have multiple serious health conditions and let me take care of myself w/o judgment, but some of the ladies in the class just look at me like I think I’m some superior special snowflake who doesn’t need to follow class rules and is a snob.

I always try to be quiet and not distract anyone while leaving or lying down, but it’s just kinda weird to get these looks. Same thing with how I interact with people, for some reason a few people got some weird attitude toward me.

And tbh I do think my nonchalantness about accommodating myself can come off as snobbish because there’s some weird expectation to be ashamed or embarrassed about using accommodations (in general) whereas I approach it with polite requests and then just do what I need to do if granted permission.

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Is there a way to maybe not let these things bother me? Or maybe not come off so rudely or so weak when I do these things? Anyone else face this?

My daughter(15) has been dancing for a few years. We did the BalletMet summer intensive last year and are planning for next summer, but now sure which to choose. We live in Omaha, NE but are willing to travel anywhere needed. We know the usual New York ballet companies, but what is some of the best placing to go? Thanks for any help.

Chatted with friends recently on memorizing choreography and realised they remember choreo in specific words like arms in second position, left foot tendu to side. I memorise choreography in "shapes" - how the body looks and replicate. An image comes to my mind instead of words. Am I the only one? How do you memorise?

Hi! I’m 19 and prospectively moving to Melbourne for university next year. I wanted to know whether there are any ballet studios that trained seriously in RAD. I’ve been training with a pre professional school and I love every second of it. Im trying to find a syllabus training in Melbourne. Preferably around the CBD area. If anything , please let me know. Many thanks.

I saw Swan Lake on IMAX Friday night and it's probably the most visually stunning cinema of ballet I've ever seen, by the world-class Paris Opera Ballet. They're playing this Saturday and Sunday, only once per day. I highly recommend the experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmRJwaldcQE

Hi all! I'm going to Hamburg in a few weeks and am ofc going to see the ballet company perform (Jane Eyre 👌🏼) BUT was wondering if I could find a cool drop in class for myself while there.

Any recs? 🙏🏼

Hey Everyone ! I’ve posted on her before about being a modern technique focused dance major and starting pointe @ 19! I am now 20!! I’m struggling with being terrified to leave the barre 😖 I can do all the things at barre and do a whole barre class en pointe but if you ask me to leave the barre I will not even get over my box did anyone struggle with this ? I’m taking baby steps , I’ve started bourrees but I’m too stiff , what could help to remind myself that my knees do bend a bit , any tips welcome I know that getting over my fear of center is a mind game haha but any advice is welcome

I just went to my first intro to ballet class in nyc but unfortunately I was the only beginner in the class (everyone else was transitioning to the next level). I felt a bit behind but does anyone have any tips or videos that can help me with my foundation before I go to my next class? I asked the instructor for tips but she just told me to come back even though she gave no real critiques on what I was doing or what I should focus on.

My daughter has been attending a local ballet school for several years, there are a few classmates at the ballet, one of them my daughter's bully from her school. I thought it would be ok as a small class and they are supervised, although I noticed a few times bully pushing and shoving my daughter during dances. I spoke to the owner and was promised they would be kept apart as much as possible. The owner employed a new teacher who put them together in small groups. Unfortunately my daughter was in the same group as the bully girl and they were practicing swinging legs to the back. She swung her leg and kicked my daughter in the face. The new teacher thought it was an accident but it is clear to me that it wasn't. I want the owner to discipline the bully as kicking someone in the face is totally unacceptable behaviour. If she doesn't, what can I do? Is there somewhere I can complain about safeguarding at the ballet school (UK). What about RAD? Any advice please, I think the bully's behaviour is gone too far and totally wild and my child is not safeguarded at the ballet school. Who can I contact? Also, forgot to mention that I have well documented bullying, both at school and at the ballet.

Now that I'm an adult with my own money, I can finally afford a beginner's adult ballet class. I have attended perhaps 5 or 6 classes now, and I am loving it as much as I hoped I would. However, I am struggling with a few things; cramping in my feet during pointing, my turnout (I know this is a longgame thing to work on!), and I struggle to remember all of my posture points while also remembering the sequence we practice. Any advice is welcome and appreciated! I am just excited to be able to learn now

I need my shoes glued by saturday so i can have them ready for rehearsal by sunday, so i dont have time to order them and no stores near me sell actual brand jet glued.

I won’t actually, but I grew up studying vaganova at my studio and the leveling system never made any sense to me. I’ve searched every corner of the internet for some source but vaganova doesn’t seem to have as set of a levelling system as RAD or Cecchetti. I know at my studio we had the primary levels, the junior levels, the elementary levels and the inter levels which i’ve seen variations of from other studios. I’ve tried to find one set list of the levels but different studios use different names, is this just a case of there not actually being any set levels or just studios being weird??

I get now why most studios (at least in canada) just opt for RAD or Cecchetti bc they seemingly have a much easier syllabus to follow.