Adult Ballerina Project

This week’s profile is of Devi Marianne Vanhon, who helped to start the first ballet in Cambodia. Check out her bio on the school’s website here and learn more below!

When did you start doing ballet as an adult?

Almost three years ago, on September 12, 2011, at the age of 31.

Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

I did almost two years of ballet from the age of 15. I started in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I was being homeschooled at that time, so I was looking for some activities outside the home. I tried ballet and completely fell in love with it. I was in classes with 7 year olds, but I didn’t care. I asked my teacher to let me take more classes. She said I could, but she wanted me to take my RAD Grade 1 exam first, so I did. After that I took as many classes as I could, around four or five per week. That only lasted a couple of months. Our family circumstances changed, we moved away and we could no longer afford ballet classes. I was absolutely shattered. I never had the chance to take up ballet again.

Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?

I’d always wanted to continue ballet and was always on the lookout for ballet classes. But when I moved to Cambodia ten and a half years ago, I completely gave up on ever having a chance to take up ballet again simply because ballet didn’t exist here. Later on there were occasionally people teaching ballet at international schools, but these were mostly classes for toddlers and small children. So in September 2012 when I saw that a one-off, 12-week, once-a-week adult ballet course was going to be offered, I immediately signed up. The classes took place in a tiny, badly-lit room with a very low barre and mirror. By the end of the very first class I knew that ballet was something I had to do. There were a couple of other adults who came to these classes too, but I was the only one who was really serious and enthusiastic about it and who came to every single class. I was so disappointed when these twelve weeks were over. I wanted and needed more.

Why did you decide to open your ballet school?

I was at a point in my existence where several aspects of my professional life were falling apart, and my weekly ballet class was that one thing that kept me going. It’s what kept me sane. That’s when I knew there was no way I could ever stop ballet again. My ballet teacher was at a crossroads too in his life at that time. A common passion for ballet is what brought us together and we thought there would be enough interest in this art to warrant starting a ballet school. I had nothing to lose. I was ready to give up everything else to dive into ballet business and ballet training. I don’t regret it one second.

Where do you take classes?

Now I take classes at my own school obviously – Central School of Ballet Phnom Penh, with my teacher who is the school’s Artistic Director and who owns the school with me. I take all the adult classes that we offer – five classes per week – and most of the time I also get two weekly 2-hour private classes.

What’s it like to run the only ballet school in the country?

It’s fun and rewarding to be pioneering ballet in Cambodia, but at the same time it’s tough. We don’t have any direct competition, but a lot of indirect competition. Both adults and children have many options when it comes to things to do after school or work: football, tennis, horseback riding, music classes, yoga, the gym, etc. There are only so many days in a week and only so many hours people have available for extracurricular activities. I guess it must be the same everywhere else too. Financially it’s also quite hard. We’re not rolling in money. Our student population doesn’t grow much. We have a lot of expatriate students, so many leave after half a year or a year in the country. New students replace the ones we lose. It’s also challenging to get locals interested in ballet. It’s a new and foreign art form to them. What’s also hard is not to have students who want to do ballet any more than just recreationally. Of course things will change with time when more locals will have the opportunity to try ballet and eventually we will see people who will consider ballet as a career path.

What is your favorite part about ballet?

I guess there are a number of things. First of all, ballet is constant and so structured and disciplined. It is fulfilling a function in my life. I feel it is giving me some sort of stability and structure I have never had in my life before and probably wouldn’t have even now without ballet. Then there is the constant physical and mental challenge and the never-ending progress that’s possible. You never stop learning – especially not at my level anyway. There is always something you can work on improving. So I don’t have the feeling that I am not getting anywhere or that I am aimless.

What is your least favorite part?

Good question! My own physical limitations – like limited turnout and lack of flexibility – can be very frustrating. Also finding the right pointe shoe! I’ve tried quite a few and until recently they all quite literally rubbed me the wrong way.

I hate ballet-free days. I don’t like to have breaks from ballet be it because I am sick or the school is closed. I get restless and feel like my technique must be suffering and regressing if I can’t have a ballet class. When we close our school for breaks I try to fly to neighbouring Bangkok (in Thailand) for classes there.

I don’t think there is any part of ballet class that I dislike. In the very beginning I used to dread turns and allegro, but now I really welcome everything that is thrown my way and I accept the challenge.

Who/What is your ballet inspiration?

Like many people living in Asia, I’d never had the opportunity to even watch a ballet. So it’s not like I grew up going to the opera and ballet every month. I still have never seen a full-length ballet on stage in my life. I have never had that chance. I live off videos. The first time I saw a professional ballet company performing live was in November 2012. The Korean National Ballet came to Cambodia and had a gala performance where I saw short excerpts and variations from a number of ballets. Okay, I am digressing. What I mean to say is that I am not overly inspired by the biggest names in ballet – yes they are amazing and of course I’d love to be able to dance even just 10% as well as they can – but they aren’t people I can really identify with that much. I am not aiming to become them because I know that would be impossible. I tend to be a lot more inspired by people who have a less than usual/predictable path in ballet; people like my teacher who started late, worked their backside off and made it against the odds. I have huge respect and admiration for my teacher. Everything I know he has taught me. Also, each of my own achievements encourages me to go on.

What motivates you to keep dancing?

The fact that I can improve with every class. It’s this constant progress that keeps me going. I set myself short-, medium-, and long-term goals and work hard to reach them. Exams are part of those goals. I took my RAD Intermediate Foundation exam in at the end of 2012 and my Intermediate exam just over a week ago with a bunch of thirteen-year-old girls. Exams give me some concrete goal to work towards and they allow me to prove to myself that I can do that notwithstanding my age and late start. They allow me to measure my progress against others and myself. I also like them for the sense of a marked achievement they give me.

I just got accepted into my first summer intensive. I will be going to Italy for three weeks in July. That too is a huge motivator, as is the support and encouragement I get from family and friends.

Do you take any other dance classes?

I do take one weekly contemporary dance class, also at my own school. I would love to take other dance classes, but I have no time and there are no other dance classes available. I wish I could take character dance classes because I used to love them and they are such an integral part of ballet as well. Jazz dance classes would be great to become a more well rounded dancer and for fun I’d love to take Bollywood dance classes.

What are your hobbies outside of ballet?

Ballet isn’t a hobby for me; it’s become a necessity! I take it really seriously and I am training as hard and intensively as I possibly can. Ballet is also my business. I don’t have a whole lot of time for other activities, but I do like to dabble in graphic design, and I like to bake too.

What advice would you like to give to those who want to start ballet or have just started?

If you love it, give it everything you have and leave your ego outside of the studio. Don’t worry about looking stupid and eliminate the expression “I can’t” from your vocabulary. Also don’t expect fast results if you don’t put consistent and regular work into it.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Hair: Ballet has forced me to learn how to do my hair. Before I started ballet the ponytail was probably the most elaborate hairdo I knew how to do. Now I can do pretty neat ballet buns and I think I’ve almost mastered the most secure and nice-looking French twist that will last all day even with four ballet classes.