I don’t even know what flair I should use but that’s both something I’ve witnessed on me and on before / now pictures : is that only me or do our knees when we are hyperflexible become more and more extended ? I specifically notice that in arabesque pictures when others post it but yesterday in class it really struck me that even in relevé seconde position in flats my legs have become like : really more hyperextended than they were when I first started So, genuine question. Is that really something ?

Have a great day / night !!!

Edit : apparently if not clear enough (English not first language and all) I’m talking joint hyper mobility there. Even in grands battements the lower part of my leg is starting to frighten me a bit from its range of motion. I’ve already asked for names of other PTs more specialised in ballet - just a matter of time before I go. Though I don’t (for once) feel pain. Anyone with that experience ?

Do you prefer bloch or worldwide ballet, or another brand. Bonus question; should i size up?

I did ballet for 18 years until I was 21, and I recently started taking class again almost 10 years later! I feel like I am reliving my favorite childhood memories and I keep thinking of this variation we did in class and I cannot find it anywhere lol! The steps I remember the most are like a balancé/rock step (I can’t think of the name) and the arms do a little flick on the beat for four counts and then port de bras from 5th to second. Does anyone recognize it? 😂

Hi everyone! I'm an adult dancer and it's summer break where I am so I'm working on some goals to try achieve before ballet goes back in February.

My goal is to eventually do 25 single leg rises, not necessarily by February but at some point. I can do 7-8 at the moment but I'm really struggling with them. I have no problem doing lots of double leg rises, but the single ones are eluding me!

I don't really understand exactly the science that goes into them so I'm not sure what I'm missing here, aside from general strength.

Can anyone explain what I might be missing with these, and can anyone suggest good exercises to improve my strength?

Thanks!

At the end of November I woke up to pain in my ankle (posterior, outside). This was after a pointe class but I don't remember doing anything in the class that would've hurt it.

I've been seeing a PT once a week and have been doing all the exercises she gives me and sometimes it feels like it's getting better and other times it doesn't, which is frustrating. Luckily, my PT works with professional ballet dancers so she has deep understanding of ballet/pointe, so I know I'm in good hands.

However, I just wanted to hear from others who've had this as to what their recovery looked like and how long it took. It seems to be a fairly common ballet injury.

Help!! I’m buying my first pair of capezios (hanamis) and the sizing is really confusing to me. I’m a women’s 12.5 street shoe and have no idea what to get

When I was growing up dance wasn't really an option for me and as I've gotten older I've always felt like I'm too old for it (turning 26 in January) but I figure even though I probably can't be a professional dancer I can at least have fun, maybe make some friends and engage in a beautiful art form. I haven't been this excited in a long time 🥺

How did you learn to balance in your pirouettes if you have flat feet? Anyone have any tips?

My feet have almost no arches (the one is completely flat the other has a tiny arch) and so when I'm on demi pointe my foot doesn't form a nice 90° angle so I'm stuck having to balance on a foot that's on a slight angle which of course makes it quite difficult.

I'm starting the search for summer intensives before audition season this january, there are so many out there that I'm getting overwhelmed just trying to start the search (looking for suggestions).

About me:
16 years old, advanced male dancer. I wouldn't say I'm extremely amazing, but I'm the top dancer in my studio and have a decent number of leads/hard roles under my belt.
Mostly trained in classical ballet, I'm not totally sure which style but probably mostly Balanchine with a bit of bournonville.
Any other questions I'm happy to answer.

What I want from an intensive:
The biggest thing is just a program where I can have fun (and work hard/improve, of course), not super strict about everything where I feel bad about myself constantly.
2-5 weeks long would be ideal
Partnering class somewhat regularly
I don't particularly care about the number of other guys there

I can't think of anything else at the moment, I'll probably get more later.

I already know what everyone is going to say but I might as well ask anyways: I’m 16 and train 5 days a week at a pre-professional studio, my shortest day is 3 hours and longest are 5. Anyways kinda tmi but tampons are genuinely uncomfortable/painful for me. What do you guys do when it’s your “time of the month” and you still have to dance? I know there’s no magic new option I haven’t heard of yet, most of you probably just use tampons or cups. I’m just a little desperate and don’t know where else/who else to ask this to

I’m looking for a black 3/4 sleeve low back leotard which also has a scoop front - can anyone help with suggestions? Everything I’m seeing has a high neck which doesn’t work for me as it doesn’t flatter my chest area. I’m a size UK 4/US 0 so I can fit into kids sizes or the smallest adult size but ideally need something with a little bit of support.

Ok everyone, real story. My daugther wants to move to NYC. She is a ballet dancer and looking for advice on where the best place to live is. I know Astoria is an option but looking for real advice. Any help would be appreciated. #DancersDad

My 5 year old son started ballet this year and absolutely loves it. I would like to get him something ballet/dance themed as a holiday present but everything seems to be geared toward girls. Any ideas? Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v6LAQEIvDQ

I’ve recently been fitted in Classic Freeds for the first time and I love the M maker! I’ve been a long time wearer of Studio Pros and really like them but wanted to try a few different shoes for more support around the box. I also tried the heart maker which was really nice on my feet. If any of you like the M maker what other makers have you found work for you? I’ve been told that it’s quite hard to get a hold of his shoes and as my shoes die really quickly I want to be prepared 😅 Any suggestions would be really appreciated!

I’ve recently been fitted in Classic Freeds for the first time and I love the M maker! I’ve been a long time wearer of Studio Pros and really like them but wanted to try a few different shoes for more support around the box. I also tried the heart maker which was really nice on my feet. If any of you like the M maker what other makers have you found work for you? I’ve been told that it’s quite hard to get a hold of his shoes and as my shoes die really quickly I want to be prepared 😅 Any suggestions would be really appreciated!

Edit: SOLD

An emergency with my pet came up and I am looking to sell 4 tickets for tomorrow showing. These are the seats: ORCH, door B, row BB, seats 117-120.

Original price $71 each, willing to negotiate.

(Remove if not allowed)

I'm looking for male legwarmers

1st Unknown Step Description: little jumps that travel. Each jump is a half turn and lands in coupe.

Often done in combination with sou de basque... like, coupe coupe coupe coupe (unknown name step), step, saut de basque, step, saut de basque. Perhaps.... saut de basque turns?

2nd Unknown Step Description: often done in contemporary/lyrical styles as well, it's a turn in the air with straight legs. Like a sou de basque, but the legs are in 5th sussu in the air. Chasse into it and out of it. Arms typically in 4th in the air.

TIA!

So when I was younger I watched The Battle of The Nutcracker on Ovation Tv and there was this specific version one year that I’ve been trying to find that I loved.

It had the toymaker (Drosselmeyer) throughout the production, like after Clara/Marie and the Nutcracker watch the dance of the sugar plum faeries he puts them in a sled and sends them on. I remember he was really tall and wore a white wig and a giant cape. Does anyone know which one this was? I think the year I saw it might have been 2012

Bonus question - do you have another favorite version available to stream of buy on DVD? I’ve been trying to build a collection to kind of do my own Battle of The Nutcrackers lineup tradition each year..

I need help deciding between 2 ballet schools in my area for my daughter who is 6 and has some ballet training already but wants solely ballet.

School A- is a registered and approved examination center offering the Royal Academy of Dance education and training program certification. They are quite big (2 or 3 studios within), they do 2 full scale shows every year (Nutcracker and a spring show), and they have students that have gone on to ABT, NYCB and the Fonteyn. Their faculty are all very qualified. The director holds diplomas from the Cecchetti Society of America, The Royal Academy of Dance in London, the International Imperial Society, and Progressive Ballet Technique. The teachers under her appear to also be quite qualified (soloists etc).

School B- is a smaller school (1 studio within think). They don’t specifically list their curriculum on their website (it’s not as fancy as the other schools site) but it does say they are a classical ballet school and the website does also mention (among other things) that the director was born in Cuba and trained at the National ballet school of Camaguey. She was a principal soloist under Fernando Alonso and a soloist with the Cuban national ballet as well under the direction of Alicia Alonso. She’s had an extensive career (of which I won’t list everything) but because of this I am assuming their training follows the Cuban Method. She also appears to be the main teacher for most (if not all) ages including the level I think my daughter would be in. They do one big show a year (Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Swan Lake, La Bayadere). The difference here though, I think, is that some of their students choose to compete and those that have, placed really well at UBC, World Ballet, YAGP and the like.

I think the staff at both are more than qualified but the students at school B do appear (on Instagram) to be more advanced earlier on. Some of their feet even in pre-ballet (and younger) are just “wow” and the alignment and everything is already apparent. Competing here is not required (I asked).

But since I’m new to the ballet world, I don’t know if one method or experience is preferential over another. So could use some help deciding. Wish she could both!

Good news, I got into CPYB! However, my next auditions are not till January 5 and 11, I know I will get my results back within a week from the latter, but the former I have no clue. Anyways, the date to reserve my spot with the 2024 price is the 15th a February, but I’m worried I won’t have a spot left if I wait that long, because CPYB lets in a lot of people. Has anyone not signed up in time for CPYB or is that just not a thing?

I saw this on another subreddit first. Why is this not already on the dance forums?! https://thebarbedwire.com/2024/12/10/texas-dance-company-fcked-around-now-must-pay-560000-to-fired-black-dancers/

Okay.... I should just jump into my long ramble about my relationship with my teacher......

So I joined a new studio last year, and from the start, I have had a very odd relationship with my teacher. At first, she just ignored me completely. Then, when I placed at a competition (and started having more success), she began to take interest in me as her student. This is where things took a bit of a turn.

Once she got more invested in me (after I placed at comp), she started making weight comments. At the time I was 5 foot 9 and (TW weight numbers) >!129 lbs!<. I have lost about >!10-12 lbs!< since then, and she STILL makes these comments. She also makes fun of my eyes (they are too big for her liking), and says that my face is ugly.

Another thing is her back and fourth treatment. Sometimes, she is very kind and nurturing towards me. Other times, she is outright terrible; embarrassing me publicly during class. For example, last week I made a small combo error, and she stopped the music, yelled at me that I was stupid, and then made me hold a plank for literally 5 minutes as a punishment at the front of the room while the rest of the class kept dancing. Another time, she randomly started ranting about how I never take any corrections, am lazy, and that she does not know why she bothers teaching me. I (unfortunately) have MANY more examples, but you get the idea.

Another thing, is that she hates it when I look at her for some reason. Last month, I was injured and could not jump, and was sitting out of the jumps section of class, I accidentally made eye contact with her (because I was watching how she was correcting another students positioning), and she started yelling at me (again) and, asked me (very threateningly) why I was "so obsessed with her". Another time, after I finished a combination, I walked to the right side of the studio (since that was the closest side to me) while the other group was going. It just so happened that she was sitting on the right side, and she made a big show of getting up and dramatically walking to the other side of the room while asking me why I "always wanted to be near to her".

Strangely enough, she is super possessive of me, and HATES it when I go to intensives and train with other teachers. She tells me that only she knows how to teach me, and that if I leaver her, I will be throwing a career away.

I should add that I am the only girl she does this with......

Most recently, there was a lot of drama over my Nutcracker casting. I was chosen to perform the pas de deux from the snow scene (along with two other girls). Over the course of two months, I was continuously casted and uncast from that role for various reasons (mainly that they could not find a tall enough partner). About 1.5 weeks away, she decided that she wanted me to perform the pas, and had me try it with the partner. Although he was a bit short for me, he had no trouble lifting me, so everything seemed perfect..... until it wasn't. She took out EVERY SINGLE LIFT (and this pas is about 80% lifts), and replaced then with arabesques. She then told me she needed to take out the lifts because I was "too big" to lift. I told her I understand, and cracked a joke about being really tall. To my surprise, she told me that was not what she meant by "big". It was clear she was calling me fat.....

A few days later, the original partner quit because he hurt his shoulder, and she told everyone that he hurt himself when he tried to lift me. She literally told everyone that I "broke the partner back" because I was "too heavy".

This rhetoric continued when the replacement partner came in. During my first rehearsal with the new partner, she told both me and the boy that she would be taking out all the lifts because she "does not want me breaking another boys back". When the new partner inquired what she meant, she flat out told him that I was much larger physically that all her other girls, and lifting me would surely injure him. (Not that it matters, but I happen to know that I weight the about the same as both other girls dancing the pas, and I am literally 4 inches taller than both of them.... )

The final straw for me happened yesterday. She decided to do a post on her social media about the pas de duex. In her post, she raved about her two beautiful snow queens (the other two girls, not me), and posted photos and videos of both of them. She literally completely left me out of the post entirely. Then, on the group chat with the entire school, she congratulated (again) her two beautiful snow queens (not including me).

I know it's stupid to feel this way, but it is like she completely erased that fact that I performed the pas at all. I literally had 5 half hour rehearsals to pull together the entire four minute piece, and feel I danced just as well as the other two girls. If they are being recognized, shouldn't I be too?

IDK what to do at this point. I just turned 17, and feel like my time is running out. It's too late to start all over again with another new teacher, but I can't keep dancing on eggshells around my teacher.

Am I over reacting? Is this normal? Any advice?

Sorry for the long rant btw - really needed to get this off my chest :)

Hi,

I have nutcracker performances coming up and I need to jet glue my pointe shoes. Today, I went to put the glue on and it has a thick consistency (kind of like jelly). I have 2 bottles of it which I bought at my local dance shop. Will it still work or is there anyway to fix it?

Thank you!!

Context: 26 y/o female, restarted ballet 3 months ago, had previously done 3 years as a kid and a few classes here and there in my early 20s, have never danced en pointe

As the title suggests, my pirouettes are totally inconsistent and feel like a crapshoot. All this week, I was practicing at home and doing en dehors double pirouettes from 4th position. I sent my teacher a video of it, so excited to show her during our private lesson. I arrived to the lesson and I could not even achieve a single pirouette without staggering at the end. I was absolutely mortified and I felt like she was disappointed and I’ve been licking my wounds ever since. Not to mention, incredibly frustrated. I know all the things I need to focus on: staying up up up on my supporting leg, core engaged, tailbone tucked, spotting sharply each turn, etc. And yet it’s like a slot machine- for every 15 awful pirouettes I do, I get 1 good one. Any tips for strengthening to achieve a smooth pirouette every time?

I’m currently dancing 1 hour of group and 30 mins of private class per week, hoping to increase soon.

Hi! Just wondering, I started pointe a week ago but sometimes my pointe shoes hurt by the outside part of my foot? I just wonder if that's normal for people who are new on pointe or if there's something wrong on my side. I also am wondering what kind of arch I have. (Also, sorry for my pants sliding lol)

video

https://reddit.com/link/1hbii48/video/1m7v8iu5s46e1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1hbii48/video/a3oi3uqzk46e1/player

🩰