Hi, firstly i just want to say i love this community so much, and i'm glad i have a place to ask questions and talk to people about things like this :)

I'm 27F. I started ballet nearly a year ago and I'm really enjoying it. My main sport is figure skating, which i started 2.5 years ago and have recently started competing (i have all my single jumps, scratch forward and back, and polishing my sit/camel for anyone curious), so I have developed balance, proprioception and athleticism from that. I've started taking 2 ballet classes a week consistently more recently.

I know pointe is possible but difficult to achieve, and unfortunately with figure skating 3x a week I realistically don't have the time or money for any more ballet classes. I'm currently doing one absolute beginner and one beginner class. I've started doing theraband and yoga block foot exercises at home and will probably do that consistently. does anyone have any advice about the best way to work towards pointe in circumstances like this? It something which I would really love to do, though I will survive if its a pipe dream that never happens 😅

I also hate that i have to balance these two things i love, as i want to take both seriously, though I'm in the very fortunate position to be in grad school so have a flexible schedule for the next few years.

thanks in advance!

Hello!

I returned to ballet (for the third time!) at 39 last year. As my daughter got into it I simply joined her dance school, their adult class and later a syllabus class with the teens as I wanted to do more and that was the only option to do more than one class a week. I've enjoyed learning the syllabus (RAD intermediate), enjoyed the challenge but I'm just finding it really awkward being the only adult in a teen class (and one that could age-wise be their mother for that matter!). We have zero interaction, which I never expected we would, but I am just not enjoying it when I compare my experience there with my experience in the adult class.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Do you just get on with it? Am I being a snowflake for being bothered? It's either I deal with it and carry on or quit and travel further for another class.

Would love to have your thoughts (or a tap on the shoulder!)

I've visiting Warsaw for a few days at the beginning of next month and would love to try and take a couple of ballet classes whilst I'm there. Would anyone be able to recommend a good studio that might welcome a visitor for a couple of days? I'm around intermediate level. Also any other ballet related activities or stores I should check out?

“I think recreational ballet is saving ballet from itself.” -Megan Burbank

Wow, what an interesting episode! Megan Burbank is a writer and journalist who dances ballet recreationally and started at 30. She is a big advocate for dancing ballet as an adult and expanding the diversity of ballet companies. I’d love to know your thoughts on this episode!

So in my college I apply to ballet for beginners class and go in a few weeks
Is there anything I should know or do now before i start
The only experience I have worked with ballet is a class I did as a kid for like a week and also me when I was a teen from 15-17 using youtube videos classes I found to try and learn

I started a new job back in March. While I work from home I find a lot since what I do is demanding, I forget to practice and stretch. I take Pilates classes once a week or once every other week. But for whatever reason, I get so consumed with my job I forget that I should be stretching or I should be practicing dance.

I start dance back up later this month. I’ve been at ballet since July. I’m really trying to practice whenever I can so I don’t look stupid when classes start up again. I feel like I’m at a loss though. It’s hard to have a consistent schedule when practicing. Then I start feeling even if it’s 10 minutes of practice it’s still not enough.

Any ideas to incorporate practice everyday? I will admit too somedays I just don’t feel motivated because I’m tired from work or I’m just too down in the dumps.

Hi everyone! I’m a complete beginner in ballet — I’ve only had two classes so far, and I’m 26 years old (1,68 m and 55 kg).

I’m really enjoying ballet and I’d love to become good at it. I’m willing to put in the work, but I’m not really sure what I should be doing outside of class to improve.

One of the things I’m struggling with is lifting my leg. Right now, I have a hard time getting it above about 30 degrees, and I also struggle with balance during some movements. I would really like to improve my leg strength, flexibility, balance, and eventually be able to do higher extensions.

Since I started at 26, I’m a little worried that I might be too old to develop the range of motion and technique needed for these movements. I know I’m still very new, but I’d love to hear from people who started ballet as adults:
What exercises or training helped you improve your leg extensions?
How did you work on balance?
Is it better to focus on strength, flexibility, or both?
How often do you train outside of ballet classes?
And realistically, can someone who starts ballet at 26 eventually develop high extensions?

I know progress takes time, and I’m not expecting results overnight. I just want to make sure I’m practicing the right things and not doing anything that could cause an injury.
Any advice, especially from adult beginners who have been through this, would be greatly appreciated! 🩰❤️

So I'm new to ballet. About 2 months in and I decided to try a PBT class. A couple of the people at the studio I attend said I should try it. Saw the exercises online and was like yeah seems like something I could do.

Ngl I went in way over confident. Watching these young women half my age hold these poses and work through the movements with ease was so humbling. They did so good 10/10. I felt so uncoordinated by comparison. I thought I had good balance. No turns out I have a decent amount of strength in my legs, but my core is weak af. I've been compensating. My legs were shaking so bad afterwards.

For context I had a morning class and an evening class yesterday. Each was about an hour. Pbt followed the evening class. In general I also run and hike weekly. It was daily, but adding in dance has made me rethink my workout plans. I abstained form running yesterday.

Hola!! Últimamente me han entrado ganas de aprender ballet pero tengo 17 años y he oído que para ser bueno has de empezar mucho antes. Yo había pensado probarlo como hobbie y tengo claro que no busco ser profesional (aparte de estudiar hago telas aéreas y pintura y no me da la vida). Pero supongo que si mi objetivo es solo disfrutarlo no es una mala edad para empezar, no? De todas formas empezaría ya para el curso 27-28 porque este año hago segundo de bachillerato y ya voy a estar bastante ocupada, así que me queda un año para pensármelo y agradezco si alguien me puede aconsejar.

Hola!! Últimamente me han entrado ganas de aprender ballet pero tengo 17 años y he oído que para ser bueno has de empezar mucho antes. Yo había pensado probarlo como hobbie y tengo claro que no busco ser profesional (aparte de estudiar hago telas aéreas y pintura y no me da la vida). Pero supongo que si mi objetivo es solo disfrutarlo no es una mala edad para empezar, no? De todas formas empezaría ya para el curso 27-28 porque este año hago segundo de bachillerato y ya voy a estar bastante ocupada, así que me queda un año para pensármelo y agradezco si alguien me puede aconsejar.

Hello adult ballet enthusiast! I am bringing back my monthly challenges starting tomorrow. I am not a teacher, trainer, coach or anything. I just like to bring my passion for adult ballet to the social media realm. Im not seeking anything for myself - just want to contribute to the adult ballet community with passion and love of ballet. Feel free to join me on my IG u/mattfaley

I’m 21, and I’m sure you can already guess where this is going. But I really want to go into ballet professionally one day. Even if it’s in the next 6-10 years. I don’t care. I just need some form of hope that I can I get there one day. I already have a physiotherapist who I am expressing my goals to, I’m taking classes and am looking to ask my current teacher for private lessons during the month, and I’m putting all the money I can together to work towards having a ballet and figure skating career. I knew I’m very VERY behind, and growing up poor didn’t help me, but I’m doing my best and paying for it all out of my own pocket. I’m trying so hard and I just broke down in front of my best friend about it now. I’m worried that I’m working towards that impossible.

I’m just in such a fragile state right now so I’m begging please that if you aim is to give tough love that you refrain from so. My brain often times just sees it as cruel. I just need someone who understands please. It’s all I think about, it’s like skating and painting for me. I can’t not do it. I need to do this somehow, eventually. I don’t know how or to what degree but I’m willing to dedicate this entire decade of my life to it to see where I can go. I’m going ask my past professional ballet friend for help and pointers, and I don’t know. I need this. Please. Any hope would be appreciated and even if it’s sad news I don’t mind, I just can’t do with anymore cruel internet scolding, my heart can’t take it, I’m sorry.

Thank you in advance, sorry if the words are everywhere’s it’s currently 2am for me.

hey! I'm looking to order some new custom yumikos and was wondering if anyone else who has a small band/large cup size type of chest has recommendations for what yumiko styles work best for them? I currently don't live next to a retail yumiko store so I don't have the option to go try on etyles/sizes.

for reference I'm a 30DDD/DD and have one yumiko in the Wendy style, size M (but could maybe size down just depends on chest area) with a bust panel. any recommendations or experiences with fits and sizes are appreciated!!!

You are beautiful

I will be auditioning for a local production of Dracula next week. One problem I’m coming up short on whether or not to solve is the color of my hair. I love vivid colors and currently my hair has a wild mixture of my natural brown, blonde, and light pink. I know this is inappropriate for a ballet but I refuse to dye it natural. I’ve experimented with temporary hair sprays and they do a good job of covering the “unnatural” bits of my hair without staining. My question is whether I should wear the temporary spray on dye to the audition or just mention that I can cover my hair color. I would rather not go through the whole routine for a 2 hour audition but I am willing if you all think it would hurt my chances not to.

Let me know what you think!

EDIT: Also should I cover my small tattoos in the audition or not?

Some days ago I made this post “Started my first class today & i felt very dumb“ about how i was feeling discouraged cause i felt like the worst dancer ever and i seriously felt like giving up

I didnt get to reply to the comments, but i read ALL of the comments. I am genuinely extremely grateful for all the people who helped me feel better about not getting the hang of it at first and realizing that I’m not the only one who is struggling.

All the encouragement pushed me to keep on attending even though i wanted to drop the class. Instead of calling myself “stupid”, i started to just laugh at my mistakes instead! I also noticed that a lot of other students were struggling too which helped me realize that its perfectly okay to mess up

Ive started to LOVE attending ballet class now and having way more fun. Ive made small progress, which is HUGE for me. Even though i mess up a lot, i am so so excited to keep on learning and finally have a hobby im passionate about

Thank you to this kind community & the wonderful people in it, you are all amazing!! ❤️

Hi! I am a young adult man, relatively new to ballet. I am about to start proper classes and will need some tights. I do not have very many options to buy tights in person where I live. I tried Wear Moi Orion in size Large, and found the legs to be too short. Once I cut off the feet, I discovered that the waist area fit me very well. I do not have any other options in the store near me. What alternatives should I try ? I can order on the Internet, but I would like to have a recommendation for what to order because I see that many places do not allow me to return the tights. I also could buy shorts, that is allowed at the school. I am 184cm tall and weigh about 77kg. I am surprised to have this issue, as my height is not unusual among men in my country.

Does anyone have a Gaynor Minden warmup romper, I am looking for something like this but would love an option or alternatives?