Ballerina Profile: Legal Ballerina

Here is the Adult Ballerina Project’s first Ballerina Profile on Legal Ballerina. She started doing ballet in November of 2011.

Adult Ballerina Project: Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

Legal Ballerina: No. I was raised by my father and he worked all of the time. I wanted to take ballet, but had a difficult time expressing my desires or needs to him.

ABP: Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?

LB: A couple of reasons – my BFF (and nanny) started to take a beginner class and asked me to join. I went to one class and liked it, so I joined. Second, like I mentioned before, I really did always wish I could take ballet as a child. Better late than never. Right?!

ABP: Where do you take classes?

LB: I take classes at a studio called Chardon Dance. It is my hometown. My teacher (who I refer to as “the General” in my blog) is wonderful and her students are super supportive. They are all close with each other and it feels like a family. It makes my journey that much more enjoyable knowing that they have welcomed me into it.

ABP: What is your favorite part about ballet?

LB: I love the clothes. If I didn’t, I would not be taking ballet. Fashion is important to me.

I love to practice and getting strong. Specifically, I like practicing my turns (pique and shanays to my left because it is stronger). I like seeing myself glide across the floor; it makes me feel pretty. While I didn’t enjoy them at first, I do like practicing my pirouettes now too. I have improved so much in 4 months; it is very encouraging.

ABP: What is your least favorite part?

LB: I injured my left hamstring in late spring. Ever since, I get nagging pain and pulling in that leg when I stretch or do kicks. I HATE IT. I don’t know if my hamstring will ever improve. I am going to see a physical therapist soon who is going to try to pull and massage out the scar tissue that is likely causing my problem. I suppose stretching in general is quite frustrating to me. I don’t know if I will ever be able to kick my leg to my head like some of the girls, but I can try!

ABP: What motivates you to keep dancing?

LB: My teacher, my friends, my husband and my kids. If they didn’t believe in me, it would be hard to believe in myself, especially since I started this so late in my life. Also, seeing improvement in my dancing has also kept me motivated. If I didn’t, it would be hard to keep pushing through the blood, sweat and tears associated with learning classical ballet.

ABP: What are your hobbies outside of ballet?

LB: I like to crochet (started that last year too), collecting authentic German cuckoo clocks (started that recently as well), playing video games with my daughter, play scrabble and drink wine with my hubby (who is amazing at the game btw), sing with my little sister and son (he is 3 – I am positive he has the performer gene), Friday Night Dance Parties with my family, watch old and/or obscure horror movies (I am a huge fan and have an eclectic collection) and make people laugh (yes, I consider this a hobby. I even have material that I use regularly and rely on my dad to provide me with more. He is my “muse”.)

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

LB: There are two types of beginners: Those who want to dance as a hobby and those who want to perform. If you want to dance as a hobby, there are plenty of studios out there who are willing to teach adults that are interested in learning basic ballet terms and technique. You take one class a week, spend an enjoyable hour practicing with friends and looking cute in the mirror and then go home. There is nothing to it and I think that if you want to take ballet in this manner – go for it! You will not regret it.

Then there are those who want to perform, like me! If that is your type you have a few obstacles ahead of you.

Find a good studio/teacher that is interested in teaching an adult ballet and actually enjoys doing it. You will be surprised how rare this really is. My first teacher, while good, wasn’t interested in teaching adults who were serious about learning ballet. She felt there was no point because, as adults, you really cannot become professional dancer. My question is, “So what?!” How many of these young girls she is teaching really going to become professional dancers anyway?! Just because you are over the age of 20, doesn’t mean you cannot learn ballet. Hence, why I left that studio.

Once you find a teacher and a studio, get ready to work your butt off. Here is the thing, the harder you work for your teacher, the more he/she will want to work with you. If you want to stand out and get asked to perform along side younger students or even get a solo, you better be ready to put your all into learning technique, stretching and getting strong. When I started taking ballet, I took one class per week. Now, I take 3 classes week, plus practice at home 2 nights (which can last an hour 1/2 to 2 hours) and do an hour of cardio one night a week as well. That’s 6 days a week of preparing my body to perform. My teacher appreciates my effort and really wants to help me achieve my goal because I have shown her that I am willing to go the distance. If you want to perform, you have to work. Period. My teacher expects me to do everything her other, younger, students do. And, with a stiff upper lip, I do it. No complaints, no excuses, no shame. Sure, I have bad days (as you will read in my blog from time to time), but I stick it out through the lesson, cry alone in my car for a moment and when the tears are wiped away and the matter is assessed rationally, I dust myself off and keep on going. Also, and something I didn’t expect, if you really do put in the effort, the other students will notice and appreciate you too. As an adult, you are an influence on these girls whether you like it or not. They look at me as a friend, a caregiver, a professional and a dancer. Don’t underestimate how much of an impact you will have on these students. They look at me as a role model because I show them that when you grow up, your life doesn’t have to end when you get married and have children. I show them how a woman CAN be, if you just try. That is pretty powerful stuff and I welcome the opportunity with open arms.

ABP: Anything else you’d like to add?

LB: Don’t be afraid to walk into a ballet class and start something new. True, ballet is difficult, but not impossible. If you were athletic or flexible before ballet, it will help you excel faster. If not, you will get stronger and more flexible as the weeks go on. You just have to work at it every day. Even if you want ballet as just a hobby, you will be surprised at how much of a work out you get in so little time. Ballet can get you back in shape or be something to add in your normal work-out routine.

Also, do not be intimidated by the younger students, because undoubtedly, there will be a lot of them dancing along side you in every class. They may not understand your place at first, but do not forget YOU are the adult and they look at you like one. In all likelihood, they are intimidated by your presence. I am surprised at how mature the students are. I suppose it is because of the discipline and self control associated with learning ballet. I look at them not as children, but as fellow students and they do the same to me. So, be kind to them and they will be a great source of support to you when you have your (often frequent) bad days.

TV and Ballet: Breaking Pointe, Bunheads, and more!

Since Breaking Pointe was renewed for a second season yesterday, I figured this would be an appropriate post for today.

There’s always been a fair amount of dance shows on TV, from Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance to MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. This summer, however, two new ballet shows premiered: Bunheads (my personal guilty pleasure) and Breaking Pointe.

Bunheads is essentially a show about a 30-something named Michelle who leaves her life as a Las Vegas dancer and ends up helping teach ballet in Paradise–a town in the middle of no where. The show has its moments–like when Michelle sprays the entire cast of the Nutcracker with mace. which she had accidentally grabbed out of her gigantic dance bag full of stuff (I’m sure a lot of us have messy dance bags!) instead of hairspray. It’s essentially my guilty pleasure because Amy Sherman-Palladino created it (creator of Gilmore Girls) and a lot of the old Gilmore Girls cast star on the show (Kelly Bishop as the ballet studio owner Fanny) or make guest appearances. I just wish the show focused on ballet more. If you liked Gilmore Girls, it’s definitely worth a shot.

However, Breaking Pointe is what has really inspired me to push myself with doing ballet. The show follows the dancers of Salt Lake City’s Ballet West company members as they train. Beckanne Sisk, my personal favorite on the show, is only 19 and already a demi-soloist for Ballet West (she also studied at the Rock School–which is here in Philadelphia where I live). The show also follows Katie Martin, who spends the show searching for a new company after not being signed for the next season at Ballet West (don’t let that lead you into thinking she isn’t any good–she is!). It’s amazing how she manages to stay so upbeat despite having to find a new job and having to leave her friends behind at Ballet West. Lastly, the shows main star, Allison Debona, (although she’s sometimes terrifying, but she means well), is inspirational to adult ballerinas because she attended college in Pittsburgh before going on to become a professional dancer at a later age than most. And of course, all the dancing on the show is amazing, and it’s the focus of the show, unlike Bunheads.

What shows inspire you to dance? Do you plan on catching up on Bunheads or Breaking Pointe before the new seasons air?

Why should you take ballet classes as an adult?

Audrey Hepburn desperately wanted to be a ballerina. From Diablo Ballet‘s Facebook page.

So why should you be taking ballet classes? You’re probably not going to become an actual ballerina (although Dave from Dave Tries Ballet started ballet at the age of 23 and is now doing pretty well and performs–check out his blog!). But, there are still several reasons to start taking ballet classes as a beginner. Truth is, people do ballet for all sorts of reasons (and your never too old!), and I’m looking forward to interviewing a bunch of fellow adult ballerinas to find out why they do it, and hopefully draw inspiration from them, and add them to this list. But, for now, here’s some of my own:

1. Ballet is great exercise. You probably already knew that, but ballet is a lot tougher than it looks. I was sore for days after my first class.

2. Ballet is fun. Running on the treadmill is boring. Other forms of exercise are boring. Dance gets you moving, doing different movements, dancing, not standing in one place or lifting weights or doing crunches or lunges. (Yuck!)

3. You can pretend you’re a kid again. If you’re like me, you took ballet as a kid (I find that most people who show up to an intro ballet class did), and you wanted to get back to it.

4. Ballet means new clothes. Don’t worry. Everything like tights, leotards, legwarmers isn’t necessary when you’re just starting. But, buying new clothes is fun once you get in to ballet.

5. Ballet means new friends. You’ll meet new friends in class as well in the online community. Those I’ve met through my personal blog have been amazingly supportive.

6.. Doing ballet means you are a ballerina. While you may never get to perform on a stage (although I’d love to set up a showcase of adult ballerina work if I could find enough ballerinas in my area!), you still are taking ballet classes and doing really hard work. Don’t forget that.

7. Ballet makes you more graceful. (By Legal Ballerina)

8. Life is too short to say “What If?” “I started ballet (and continue with it), because I know that life is too short to squander on “what ifs”. As the saying goes, you usually regret the decisions you didn’t make as opposed to the ones you did. I want to seize the day and try to live my life to the fullest while I still have my health, strength, time and courage to do so! Let me tell you, I am so very happy that I took a chance on myself and started ballet. It has changed my life.” (Legal Ballerina)

So why do you want to do ballet? I really want to make this a never-finished list, so leave a comment and I’ll add your reason to the post! Or, post in the forum your reasons why you do ballet!

UPDATE: The old forum was too complicated, so I started a new one using a wordpress blog. Just shoot me an e-mail (your wordpress e-maill to connect accounts) and I’ll be sure I add you as a new author so you can post your own threads!

About The Adult Ballerina Project

Welcome to The Adult Ballerina Project. My name is Kristen Gillette, and I took ballet classes as a child for roughly 3 years. For ages, I debated getting involved in any one of the numerous ballet classes offered in Philadelphia, but I was too nervous to actually go through with it. In April of 2012 with a little encouragement, I finally faced my fears, bought my first pair of ballet slipper since age 5 and began taking classes at Philly Dance Fitness. I instantly fell in love, although I was never any good at it.

Starting ballet classes as an adult is terrifying. My goal with this site is to help those who are looking to start ballet as an adult gain the confidence to do so, as well as give some tips to get the most out of taking adult ballet classes. With this will come videos, advice from instructors, profiles on fellow beginner and adult ballerinas (including you, if you want!) and photos showing the hard work adult beginners are doing.

Check out my blog with my own personal experiences at Awkward at the Barre.

If you have any questions or would like to contribute to the site, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at adultballerinaproject@gmail.com or leave a response below.