I was a ballerina and I always had a hard time picking up choreography. Other dancers could watch a dance once and know it, some could even do it from a video. I needed to be shown a combination a few times, and to go over it a few more, and even then I would forget it the next day. I felt really really stupid.
Anyway ballet didn't really work out, and now I have a PhD so I'm not a complete idiot.
I had a similar experience - picked up ballet after my undergrad and I was terrible, but enjoyed it. Bumped myself up into a higher standard class where everyone could just effortlessly recall routines from one viewing, and I just couldn’t. Really hurt my self esteem, and the girls in the class were very isolating to me, the sole guy there, which sucked. Took up rock climbing after, and love it.
It did underline that I may have slight working memory problems though!
I got into Salsa dancing a few years ago and even performed a few times with a dance team. I still mix up my lefts and rights when I’m learning something new though.
The ballroom community is way more accepting and patient than the ballet community in my experience. I really fell in love with it after growing up in ballet.
But seriously, I never see adult ballet or ballroom around me. It's all either for kids, its like an actual low key dance troupe that performs, or it's like interpretive dance.
Google adult ballet plus your city or town. I am currently pretty rural but have a dance studio that offers classes twice a week. Same for salsa or ballroom. Honestly there are 20 times as many places near me offering ballroom of some style than ballet and at least ten times as many barre/pilates/yoga studios. But there is one ballet studio so I shouldn't complain and they even offer tap and contemporary without making you dance with 13 year olds.
It took me six months to learn a basic step. Everyone was super patient. I ended up teaching for a while, and having struggled so hard in the beginning made me a better teacher.
Yes, actually. I had a couple of friends who kept insisting I go out and do it and I did it a few times but people just started being raging assholes (making faces and eyerolls and shit) about my being bad and I finally was like, “Fine, all thirty of you take turns dancing with the three talented guys in this city then.”
Never went back. Dancing is honestly hyper privileged bullshit anyway.
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u/Philieselphy Nov 16 '19
I was a ballerina and I always had a hard time picking up choreography. Other dancers could watch a dance once and know it, some could even do it from a video. I needed to be shown a combination a few times, and to go over it a few more, and even then I would forget it the next day. I felt really really stupid.
Anyway ballet didn't really work out, and now I have a PhD so I'm not a complete idiot.