pinkpointes101 Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 One of my good friends in my ballet class doesn't have the right body type for dancing. She doesn't have a lot of turnout or good arches. We are both in the intensive division in our ballet school, but recently our teacher told her that she has to go to a physical therapist and then will be assessed if she could continue dancing in the intensive division. My teacher also said that my friend works hard, but she just has to many physical problems to continue. This only happened because my friend doesn't have the right dancer body, even though she really wants to continue dancing in the intensive division. We think it is unfair that she can't become a professional just because of how she was born. If anyone has any suggestions on what to do, or any stretches for turnout and arches, they will be very much appreciated. Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Fair? All of a sudden, life is supposed to be FAIR??? Is it unfair that a 5'5" fundamentals whiz has zero chance of becoming a center for the Knicks? Ballet is not for everyone. Many physical problems can be overcome by many people, and they can become dancers despite physical shortcomings. Sometimes, there is just too much going against you, and there is nothing short of major surgery to change it. It's too bad, but it's a fact of life, just like the short center. The fact that your teacher is making a referral for analysis shows that s/he is looking for guidance as well, and that this is a good thing. No one can provide advice without a careful, educated observation of the subject. Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted February 12, 2006 Administrators Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 pinkpointes, there are things in life that simply cannot be done on a professional level by everyone. Ballet is one of those things. If the school is training only those with serious potential for a career in their intensive division, then it is only fair to the students to know that and not put all of their hopes and dreams into something they cannot do. It does NOT mean that they cannot dance, continue training, and enjoy it for a lifetime, but it does mean that there is a lack of physical facility for accomplishing this on a professional level. Think of it in terms of a musician or an athlete, in that a tone deaf person is not going to make it as a singer or musician of any sort, and a 5'2" person is not going to play professional basketball, no matter how much they love it and work at it. They can play basketball, football, whatever, for as long as they want and love it, but they won't make it into a career as professional player. This may sound cruel, and I don't mean it to be so at all. We train many dancers without all of the most ideal facility, but there does come a point where they need to face reality and know that they are doing it because they want to dance, but not to the level of ABT. Some will have the technique to continue through college, and perhaps perform in small, regional companies, but others will not make that either. We can only change so much in terms of the physical structure that we are born with. Sad, perhaps, but true. Quote Link to comment
dancerwithwings Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Wow, that's really hard to deal with pinkpointes! Ms. Leigh and Mr. Johnson made very relevant and good points about the reality of the ballet world. I think it is a good sign that your teacher is referring her to the physical therapist. Hopefully, the physical therapist will offer positive suggestions for her to work and perhaps develop her turnout and arches more. I can only tell you what I would do in your situation. I would advise your friend not to give up, especially if she is truly passionate about ballet. There are plenty of other very good pre-pro schools that would be willing to work with her, even if she doesn't have the 'ideal body type'. I think in the more competitive schools there isn't this opportunity, but perhaps in a less competitive environment with more personalized instruction, she can learn to work with her body, and develop her technique. I would think that she must have some sort of potential if she made it into the intensive division! Just encourage her not to give up on her dream, and to continue to work hard. There are many stories of professional dancers overcoming the odds, and pursuing their dreams with success! Although these stories are the minority, they still exist. Ultimately, if she cannot overcome the limitations of her body type, there are still other wonderful related careers she could get involved with in the dance world. Quote Link to comment
pinkpointes101 Posted February 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Thanks for the response, but isn't it true that sometimes you can break physical boundaries, and just because you aren't born with the correct genes doesn't mean that you can't strive for your dreams? Are there any really good stretches that you can recommend for her so she can improve her current situation? Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Look, we can't deal with problems second-hand. At third-hand we are absolutely clueless. We can't see what's wrong, so it's not possible to offer assistance. Just saying "turnout/arches" isn't enough to go on. Quote Link to comment
pinkpointes101 Posted February 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Wow, that's really hard to deal with pinkpointes! Ms. Leigh and Mr. Johnson made very relevant and good points about the reality of the ballet world. I think it is a good sign that your teacher is referring her to the physical therapist. Hopefully, the physical therapist will offer positive suggestions for her to work and perhaps develop her turnout and arches more. I can only tell you what I would do in your situation. I would advise your friend not to give up, especially if she is truly passionate about ballet. There are plenty of other very good pre-pro schools that would be willing to work with her, even if she doesn't have the 'ideal body type'. I think in the more competitive schools there isn't this opportunity, but perhaps in a less competitive environment with more personalized instruction, she can learn to work with her body, and develop her technique. I would think that she must have some sort of potential if she made it into the intensive division! Just encourage her not to give up on her dream, and to continue to work hard. There are many stories of professional dancers overcoming the odds, and pursuing their dreams with success! Although these stories are the minority, they still exist. Ultimately, if she cannot overcome the limitations of her body type, there are still other wonderful related careers she could get involved with in the dance world. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks so much for that response! I read it after I posted my last one. I told my friend what you said and she says that she couldn't agree with you more, and she will try her best and hopefully succed! She also says that you just made her day! Quote Link to comment
Tiiny Dancerx33 Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Hello, I'd also like to add that your friend may not have *perfect* turnout, but not a lot of people do. Just because someone says that they are going to take her out of a certain level because of it doesn't mean her love for dancing will be discontinued. Your friend could look at this possitively. If the teacher had never pointed it out to her, then maybe she wouldn't have so much focus on her turnout. Now she can work and work at it. She now has a chance of improving. I would NOT let your friend get discouraged about her dancing. I hope i helped Quote Link to comment
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