Yay for having our own board! For some reason I have the urge to refer to this forum as the "Ballet BAR" (Yes, bar, not barre)...but anways...

Since we have this nifty new place, let's get to know each other! Where are you in your ballet journey?

I've been dancing for 20+ years. I currently dance with (as well as coach and direct) a dance team for a minor league football team. We also compete during the "off season". It's fun but discouraging to always be one of, if not the only, adult team.

Though I've been dancing for over 20 years, I stopped taking ballet about 11-12 years ago...For some reason I decided that I hated it, or maybe I thought it wasn't necessary...Whatever my reasoning, I certainly regret it!

I recently re-started ballet at a new studio where I take an open adult class once a week and an advanced class once a week. Right now the studio only offers one adult ballet class, but the levels are fairly mixed. Also, due to my crazy work schedule, I really can't make it to any other advanced classed or the pointe classes

My teachers do think I can go back up on pointe pretty soon, which I am super thrilled about! I havent been en point since I was a teenager, and I absolutely hated it then...Now it's all I dream about!

So, who are we all?

well I started a long time ago when I was 18 I am now 58 (40 years). I stopped after I left a small company that I was in, that would be when I was 28. Then I took up aerobics. I even taught that for a while about 5 years. Then an unfortunate series of events, and several surgerys latter, I decided that I would rather dance ballet than just sit arround and wish that I was, that was a 1 1/2 years ago. Best thing that I ever did. I did during most of the time away take a class here and their. I was out of dance for about 13 years. I take 4 classes a week now 3 at the intermidiate level and one begginer inertmediate.

I danced seriously at a pre-pro school from age 4 to 16. As much as I loved ballet, I stopped dancing for several reasons. My height was too much of a disadvantage - the studio would not let me take the PDD class since I was taller than the boys, and I was continually rejected at auditions because I was "too tall" (yes, the auditioners said this or wrote it down!). In my last years of training I feel my instructors gave up on me since they felt a tall ballerina had no chance to go pro, so they'd rather focus on girls who had a chance in their eyes.

I decided to pursue a career in visual arts, so at 16 I stopped dancing to focus on getting into a private art college. I always missed ballet, but was happy with my choice. I have a BFA in Visual Communications and a wonderful job that allows me to return to ballet as an adult.

I am just as passionate about ballet as I was then, and fortunately there are many opportunities for me to take advanced level classes, pointe classes and private lessons where I live. I have been a "re-starter" for almost 2 years now and dance 6 days a week

I was always drawn to it when I was kid and finally got enough courage to take classes when I was 16 and really loved it (I had a really good teacher who really instilled the passion in me). I danced through college, and also took jazz and modern classes.

I quit after I graduated from college, I guess for all of the reasons many people do..."I grew up." But deep down I really missed it, but I thought it was something I would never be able to go back to again.

When my daughter started dancing, that rekindled the fire again, and thought maybe, just maybe I'd take a class or two and try it for a few weeks. I googled and found a school in our area that actually had adult classes.

Well the "I'll just try a class for a few weeks" has turned into two or three classes a week for the last three years. I've gone from a late-restarting beginner at 39 who had forgotten nearly everything he knows to an intermediate who also takes advance classes and had the time of my life being a party parent in the Nutcracker this year.

These stories are so inspiring....It's so nice to know that I'm not alone, and it's definitely reassuring to see that adults can have a happy, fulfilling and enriching life in dance, even after the "prime" ballet age!

Thanks so much for sharing, keep the stories coming!

I am 30 years old and just started ballet in March. I always loved it, but never took it as a child. I remember my sister taking recreational classes as a child, but quit after one term. After that, my parents never signed me up because they assumed I would quit too. I remember wearing my sisters ballet slippers at home I always had a lot of self esteem issues as a kid and teenager, so I would never ask to take lessons because I didn't want to suck and be embarrassed in something I wanted to do so badly

My goddaughters all dance and I often bring them to class. Since then, I have really wanted to try it again. When their studio started offering adult classes in other disciplines, I started looking for adult ballet classes, but couldn't find and beginner ones. It wasn't until I was looking for serious classes for one of the girls that I came across the classes I am taking now. Silly me for checking community dance studios and not the ballet conservatory I assumed it was all just little pre-pro girls.

My goal is to get on pointe someday, and I am determined to work as hard as I need to to get there!

I'm in my late twenties and I started taking ballet for the first time three years ago.

I'm mostly an Irish dancer - been doing that since I was a kid. But sometime in the last few years, I felt a little too restricted by the dance form. I took West African dance for a change, which I loved then and still do, but felt that what I was truly missing was a fundamental background in dance.

So I decided to start all over again.

I'm loving ballet. It's a huge challenge. It requires a lot of my brain space - to think of so many bodily things at once, while appearing graceful and nonchalant too. It's made me a better dancer in all forms of dance, and more in tune with my body too.

I'm very lucky to take an adult dance class at a local professional school. My teacher is incredibly patient but also demands our best, and we get a live pianist too. I love being treated with such respect, despite the fact that none of us in that class are headed toward anything resembling a professional career.

I guess you'd call me "retired."

I had 17 years of ballet with a woman who danced professionally in France and 4 years of modern in college. I danced in the college repertory company and was looking at going into Modern professionally when I met my husband. My unfinished degree is actually a double major in Dance and English, but I kept pausing to have kids (two girls). To further complicate things, my husband is military, so we move every three years. I dance when I can, but that's not very often, especially since I've gone back to school to work on a completely different degree (Medical Office Assistant). I taught beginning ballet, modern, and yoga for awhile, but when we moved I never really found another job in the field. For the past four years I was a housewife, but now that my baby is five I'm getting out of the house more.

I miss the studio more than anything. My oldest is into basketball and not interested at all in dance, but my youngest will start next year. If she doesn't like it, part of my heart will break, but I'm not forcing anyone to do anything that they don't want to do. I'm thinking I'll go back for adult classes when she starts, but I'm having trouble contacting the studio that I want to look into. Needless to say, I'm a picky dancer, heh.

I started ballet when I started walking, and continued for 16 years. When I started college, I laid off ballet for a while because I was concentrating on my prerequisites for medical school, and was told I wouldn't succeed without a biology major. BOR-ING. Last year I switched my major to ballet and now happily dance 10 hours of the day. So I did take a year off, but I don't consider myself a restarter because I've done it pretty much continually for my whole life.

~*~Punkgirl~*~

Long live punk rocK

I took ballet lessons as a teen-ager for about three years at the school associated with Ballet Pacifica in Laguna Beach, CA. I quit (stupid me) because even though I loved it I was discouraged at having started so late (fifteen) and it was too late for me. And back then (the 70s) you weren't really encouraged to take ballet for recreation.

Fast-forward twenty-six years. I've had a full life of doing all sorts of different jobs, getting married and having a child, homeschooling said child, and then becoming very ill and being partially bed-ridden for a little over a decade. Yea, a decade. But then I recovered and went immediately and passionately back to ballet because I didn't want to lose one more precious second of my life after having it pass me by for so long. It was time to dive back into the one thing I knew would make me supremely happy!

Now I have been dancing for four and a half years. I'm about to be forty-eight. I dance six days a week, take all the advanced classes that are offered at my recreational school and perform in recitals every six months. I'll be going to Adult Dance Camps in Richmond this summer for the third year.

I love that we have this board.

None of the above on the poll.
Former pro here with large companies. Still take a class when possible but I now teach full time.
The advanced/pro ballet board is quite slow but it is mostly for students as is the rest of the ballet boards. There is a teacher page on this site that is great for teacher issues bit so far nothing for adults in ballet, especially for pros/reitred pros.
So, if this board accepts people that don't really dance anymore but it is still my career then great! I am not sure because there wasn't an option for professional dancers It is great that there is a ballet board for adults!

I wasn't sure which to vote for!
I usually class myself as an adult restarter.. but I never stopped dancing, I stopped going to classes but kept practising by myself at home.
Did the childhood ballet till I was about 12 then a break of 2? years. Switched schools and was much more into ballet from 14 to 18. Then I injured my knee and couldn't dance for a couple of years. Tried the ballet soc at university but didn't like it too much. Practised at home. Illness and gained a lot of weight on medications. Losing the weight, returned to an adult class last autumn at the age of 29!
Haven't been yet this term due to financial issues and currently looking for a job. But I hope to go back asap. Possibly to the "teen" class though. The adult class is in the day time (adult ballet fun thing... ) but the school does allow adults who want to and are experienced enough to join the grade classes which are in the evenings.

Diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees at 26. So I take it easy with the turnout now (there are some things I just can't do, shouldn't do, will never be able to do.)

I love dance as much as ever.
Some things have improved in my time out. (Some haven't! I am aware of my out-of-shape and older body) But some things I struggled with are different now. Technically, physically.
A very different perspective, which I enjoy.
I understand the mechanics of it all more now.

And I feel less self-conscious than I did as a teenager, generally. Less inhibited in my movements.
Though that said, I am a little apprehensive about joining a class of teenagers. Nothing against them... I just realise my age when I am around them. My body is...different... I feel a bit strange and have to remind myself that it is natural and normal that I don't have an 18 year olds body now.

Step

I didn't know what to pick because i don't classify myself as a restarter but i guess some would classify me as such. I took ballet from age 12 up till i was 17 1/2 at an intensive pre-pro ballet school. I was going to dance professionally, that was my goal and i could of acheived it but then i came down with a life threatning illness that prevented me from dancing. During the almost 2 years that i was sick and mostly unable to dance i still went to the studio whenever i could and sat and watched classes and company rehersals, occasionally when i felt up to it took barre with them. I also discovered a love for teaching dance and begun doing that. Then at the very end of 2006 (a couple of months after i turned 19)i was declared free from my illness and the first thing i did was returned to dancing once again at the intensive pre-pro dance school that i grew up in. My return there has been brilliant, but hard, many of my fellow dancers have now gone on to careers in ballet. Thats something i struggle with knowing that i would of had a career in ballet aswell right now had it not been for stupid illness. But i love being back in dance after spending so long sitting there watching classes, longing to be dancing again. I had also thought all my chances at a career were over but the studio owner (and the most inspirational teacher ever) has recently been talking about having me audition for the Royal NZ Ballet, and for a couple of companies in Aussie, she's trying to tell me it's still possible "after all your only 20" she says. But i don't know, i'm content right now to continue with my training here, if nothing else comes from it i can still dance for myself and in the end that's what matters the most right?

Anyway all that to say that i consider myself a adult dancer thats still going strong after all these years, however technically i'm probably an re-started advanced as i was forced to take a few years off due to illness (not that i really took them off compeltly cause i was still in the dance studio every week as often as i could be, even if it was just to sit and watch classes and dream about returning to them)

I'm not an adult yet, as I'm only 17 but I do RAD ballet and I do Intermediate level and have been doing pointe work for about 5 years

I voted for not a re-starter, even though I haven't been taking any classes since Christmas. I've done ballet since I was 4(some jazz, modern, lyrical too, but mostly ballet), doing all my Cecchetti exams (I think I skipped 1 grade- grade 5 maybe???? The syllabus changed I think, the old grade 1 became the new grade 2 and a new grade 1 was added, so all the grades were moved up and I skipped one of those grades). I kept dancing in university, where my teacher was a girl only about 5 years older than I was but who had to retire from her career as a professional ballerina. I've taught it a bit too- kids' ballet and ballet/jazz combo classes, as well as adult beginners. Now I'm taking a year off from school and travelling, and although I was taking classes for a while it just got too expensive for me right now. So I had to stop after Christmas but when I go back to school in September I'm going to be starting up again which I'm totally excited for!

I chose "None of the above" because I am recently retired from a small professional company. I hardly get to class anymore , but am trying to change that. I still teach some, and will be teaching more next year, including an adult class! That is my favorite to teach.

Hi
I danced from the age of 2 (Keen mother!) I disappointed EVERYONE by stopping age 10- I was apparently pretty good but I was terrified of forgetting steps in exams, so, I quit (and this is the first time I ever admitted this).
I dabbled a bit in my teens-taught myself pointe (not a word-I know...) then gave up until 3 months ago.
I am now 30!!! At a great dance school, going twice per week, one absolute beginner class (too easy but good for fine-tuning) and one more advanced class (too difficult but I'm getting used to it!). I'm hoping to take RAD exams, simply as something to work towards.
I'm finding it easy to get back into-even after 2 kids ( latest is 7 months old!)and major spinal surgery (from old gymnastics injury) I'm still flexible but not as easy as it used to be. Mt turnout is reasonable, and I'm very proud of my feet (naturally high arch v strong etc!!!)
Sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet don't I? But hey, that's what ballet's all about?!!
Ultimate aim is to work en pointe. No idea if this will ever happen, but I'm thinking I won't try on my own this time- I haven't got time to have a broken ankle!!!
Hee hee.
I'm addicted and I LOVE BALLET!!!

Hi: my name is Kevin and I am 39 yrs old. I take 12 ballet classes a week and 3 jazz. I got interested in ballet in the sixth grade after seeing the SF ballet Nutcracker. I wanted to start ballet right away but I was too chicken to ask my parents. I started ballet at the age of 23 if I recalled. Ballet is one of the best thing I have ever done and it sure has change my life around. I am also involved in Musical theatre because of dance!

Ballet rocks

Kev

Who ever wouldn't let you take a PDD class simply because you were blessed with a longer body, SUCKS! I'm sorry to hear that. I understand the audition thing though, but come on, if you cant learn to dance in a studio, where can you?

Well, I started with ballet age 5, went to pre-pro-school at 12 (and took ballet, jazz, modern, baroque and caractere/folcloristic dance). At 18 I went to university and took ballet and modern lessons (recreational). Now at 32 I still take 2 or 3 classes a week, and sometimes take part in "productions". That means you have to audition to take part in a new choreography (mostly modern). Last year I had point classes, but this year didn't manage to find a school where they teach point for adults, unfortunately.

Hi everyone,

It's my first time on dance.net
I am 35 years old and have been dancing for ten years now.
In the beginning I took modern for a couple of years and feel in love with dance.
I went auditioning for contemporary school but got rejected cause of lack of technique (... which is obvius).
...
But I did not quit. I trained ballet everyday to do audition again the year after.
Sadly, they did not allow me to do audition because I was already 30 years old that year...

But now I am a happy dancer/person.
I do daily physical activities, mostly ballet en yoga, and I combine it with swimming.

I think I will do this for the rest of my life

PointeDanseur wrote:

Who ever wouldn't let you take a PDD class simply because you were blessed with a longer body, SUCKS! I'm sorry to hear that. I understand the audition thing though, but come on, if you cant learn to dance in a studio, where can you?

In retrospect I don't agree with the studio's decision; they could have at least let me learn PDD basics. Complicated lifts and jumps would have been out of the question, but I could have learned basic partnering with a shorter dancer. Oh well, I was about 13-14 at the time and not in a place to contest my instructors.

I keep thinking to myself that if I improve and feel confident enough, I may seek out a PDD partner eventually, but I am so critical of myself. I don't think it's impossible, though.

It was so inspiring reading all these messages and realised I am not alone!
I restarted ballet twice in my life so far (I am in my really late 20's now). The first time I stopped when I was 11 doing Grade 4 and the reason I quit was I couldn't do pirouette & got teased by other girls in the class...I regretted that after a year and begged my mother to let me do Ballet again which took another year when I finally joined Grade 4 (second time) at 13. Since then I really enjoyed Ballet and became a much stronger dancer passing my RAD exams with good marks until 17 when I decided to concentrate on my studies. (well forced by my parents really...)
I retarted four years ago and now going to take the intermediate exam this summer and "restarted" doing pointe work again earlier this year.
I do regret not restarting earlier but I am enjoying every moment of dancing right now and Ballet is really part of my life!
Keep dancing!

I have always been known to do things that noone would expect of me. I'm more the shy, bookish type of girl. I hate sports. I suck at it. I'm unflexible and ungraceful.

The second I enrolled at a ballet studio, the world around me was shocked. Well. I didn't tell many people, especially not my family. Ballet is my little dirty secret.

I started when I was 20. I had been doing ballroom dancing for a few years then, but not very sucessful. It's just that I'm not the dancer type of person. I wanted to do ballet because it seemed the most unlikly thing to do, the big challange I could never win. I lack talent, obviously. Nevertheless, it's a great fun for me and I enjoy doing it very much. I'll never be graceful, but I got a little more flexible (now I'm simply "unflexible", not "horribly unflexible" anymore) and my self imagine got way better.

I'll never be a dancer, but sometimes I like to dress up was one. Taking two or three ballet classes a week does help with that, really.

I have been going on since over two years now, and I don't see myself quitting anytime. I have a secret passion for dancing, and I will not give up something that took me so long to uncover.

Hi all! I am an adult dancer still going strong all these years, even though i took a 6-7 month break last year! I have been dancing since I was 3 years old, and I turn 23 later this year. I have taken ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical/modern, and pointe. Currently I am just taking ballet/pointe and lyrical because thats all I can afford even though I love tap. I took time off last year because everything going on in my life was overwhelming and confusing and I had to prioritize and decide where my life was going. I am happy to be back at my old studio with my friends and practically second "family". I love it so much and don't anticipate leaving again except to start my own family with my hubby.