What comes to your mind when you think of ballet?
Pink? Tutus? Pretty dancers? An easy pastime? Girly? Ballet may involve pink costumes such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the "Nutcracker." And yes, it does include tutus; many ballet costumes come in the form of tutus for women. And pretty dancers, most definitely!
But words like "easy" and "girly" definitely do not accurately define ballet. First of all, ballet dancers practice for hours each day. This applies to not only the older girls, but also the younger dancers who may only be 10 or 11. And for people who think that pointe shoes are simple and that anyone who throws the shoes on their feet can dance on them, I ask you to think again. Blisters, bruised toenails, ingrown toenails, blood blisters, and bunions -- you name it and there’s a ballet dancer who has it!
This, perhaps, is what people love when they see a ballet performance. Dancers have the ability to make what they are doing look graceful instead of grueling and, at times, painful. The beauty is that they have the ability to make it look completely effortless. They cannot take gasping inhales when they are out of breath, as a soccer player can take on the field, or go sit on the sidelines after the dance is done.
All this pain hardly throws a dancer off track. I remember during repeated performances of Beauty and the Beast for my ballet company, my foot began to ache painfully. I finished off the season by taping my foot and trying to ice and ease the pain as much as I could. Little did I know, I had performed more than half of the shows with a fractured bone in my right foot. There were other times where myself, as well as many other friends who danced with me, would end class with a blood spot on their pointe shoes as a result of a blister. Dance is painful, but when you love something so much, no pain can prevent the thrill of the dance.
And as for the word “girly” that seems to constantly define the art of ballet, this is in no way accurate. Believe it or not, there are men involved in ballet, and men that enjoy dancing. Being a dancer should not make a man any less of a man. He is a man who can lift a woman over his head and make it look completely effortless. He is a man who is able to support a woman, almost invisibly, and make the dancer look as if she is floating.
Being a ballet dancer does not mean that you aren't sporty enough for soccer or softball. Being a ballet dancer is incredibly invigorating, and it gives so much back to you as an art form. You may not be taught by a coach who leads the team to a championship, but you have the joy of being overseen by a director and a ballet mistress to create an aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable performance. This can be even more rewarding than winning a championship game. Taking a final curtsy or bow in front of a pleased audience brings back memories of where your love for ballet began: as a little boy or girl in a studio learning the basic feet positions. And look how far you’ve come.
I had the privilege of taking ballet lessons for 13 years, from elementary school up to my first year of college. Now that I've taken a step back, I find myself missing the exhilaration and sheer joy of dancing. This joy is something you can carry with you throughout the rest of your life. I will always remember the sound of the orchestra warming up, the rush of excitement, the hush of the audience, and the bittersweet feeling of finishing a performance.
For all the dancers out there, continue to pursue and work hard. I promise you that even if you do not choose to be a dancer professionally, you will look back on those years of ballet lessons with nostalgia in your heart. I urge you to never forget the feeling of being on stage or putting your pointe shoes on for the first time and feeling like a prima ballerina.
Now, for those of you who don't do ballet, or have no experience with it, ask a dancer what words she would use to describe her art form. Disciplined. Rewarding. Athletic. Strong.
“You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive."
―Merce Cunningham
