December 7, 2012

Ballerina Profile: David Chapman

studio03This week’s adult ballerina profile is of David Chapman, who bravely started ballet at the age of 57 two years ago. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!

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

David Chapman: No–dance wasn’t on the agenda for anyone in my grammar school let alone boys, I played cricket and rugby.

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

DC: My wife and I always followed Strictly Come Dancing on the television and I’ve always danced “freestyle” with enthusiasm. We thought about taking ballroom lessons but I wanted a real challenge that involved athleticism, acting and dancing which I could do on my own and with others – ballet ticked all the boxes and we go together (my wife took ballet class ino her teens and so did our daughters).

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December 3, 2012

Guest Post: Advice for Men in Ballet

The man presents the lady...

(Photo credit: fingle)

Last week ABP profiled Scott, who runs In the Wings and LoveBallet89, here. Enjoy his post on advice for men in ballet!

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“You take ballet?” “Seriously?”

That’s usually the reaction I get when people find out that I dance.

Let’s face it, ballet is an outside the box activity for an adult, period, much less for an adult male.

Men, especially in the South where I live, hunt and fish. They play golf. They play softball.

They don’t dance.

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November 30, 2012

Ballerina Profile: Scott of In the Wings

Scott is the priest in this photo from a Dracula performance a few years ago.

This week’s profile is of Scott, who runs a blog called In The Wings as well as LoveBallet89. Make sure you check it out and look for guest posts from Scott on Adult Ballerina Project soon!

Adult Ballerina Project: When did you start doing ballet as an adult?

Scott: Hard to believe six years ago at the very ancient age of 39.

ABP: Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

S: I took lessons as a teenager and danced in college. Gave it up partially because I’d grown up, and part because of what people thought of me as a guy dancing. Regretted quitting.

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

S: Partly because I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle. My younger sister died of cancer. My father started having heart problems when he was in his younger 40s. I was standing in the lobby of the studio where my daughter took classes and realized the fever to dance never really went away.

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November 29, 2012

60 Minutes New York City Ballet

New York City Ballet

This past Sunday, CBS 60 minutes ran a special on the New York City Ballet. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here (and three bonus clips.) Enjoy!

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November 28, 2012

Guest Post: Profile of Susan Attfield from Pretoria, South Africa

Today’s post (Adult Ballerina Project’s first guest post!) is brought to you by Susan Attfield, who owns her own ballet studio, Dance Hub, in Pretoria, South Africa. You can read her blog, Ballet for Adults in South Africa, here. Enjoy her post about being an adult ballerina and going on to open her own studio!

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I started dancing just more than four years ago. I did two years of modern dancing when I was about 15 years old, but always want to do ballet. I had no prior experience in ballet till 2008 and never did ballet as a child.

Prior to starting ballet myself, I have not even seen a ballet or a live ballet performance on stage ever! I have always known that I wanted to do ballet, even as a child. My mother however, believed ballet was too expensive to take on as a hobby and wanted me to rather excel in athletic track events, which I did.

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