Losing my Passion

[Clara2005]

I am 15 and have been taking ballet classes since I was 6. I have performed in a professional ballet company production, as well as student productions. I am currently in a pre-professional ballet program that requires me to leave high school early everyday. I love dancing, and I love performing, and ballet has been my whole life.

 

But lately, I've been feeling down on my dancing and ballet classes in general. I feel like I'm the worst dancer in the class and that all the other girls are advancing and I'm falling behind. I dread going to class, and all I can think about when I'm in class is going home. It's embarrassing to mess up all the time when my classmates can all do it better. Also, I've noticed that my teacher is not paying any attention to me.

 

I miss having more of a social life with my high school friends, and wish I knew what it would be like to have a "normal" full day at school, and be able to hang out with friends after school.

 

I still love ballet, and it scares me to think about leaving it, and I know I will always want it to be part of my life, but I'm just losing my passion for it.

 

So, I'm thinking of taking some sort of break from it (at least from the pre-pro track), but I'm worried that I'll get even worse and possibly ruin my chance of having a professional dance career.

 

What would you advise someone like me?

Edited February 6, 2008 by Clara2005

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello Clara2005, welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers

 

You know, it's not really unusual for dancers to have times when they question what they are doing, and also when they don't feel positive about themselves for some reason or other. Sometimes it is a growth spurt that gets one all off center for a while, or just changes that happen in the teen years. Usually these things are very temporary, and get better all by themselves.

 

However, you do also need to listen to your own feelings and desires. If you feel that you are missing out on things by being in dance all the time, then perhaps you are. Ballet is a very, very difficult art form, and takes many years of dedication and exceptionally hard work. It is only worth it to do it at that level of comittment if the passion is there and one feels that it is not a choice, but something one has to do. If you feel that the other things you mention are important to you, then perhaps ballet is not as important as it would have to be to make it a career. Which is fine. Certainly not everyone who studies for many years will become a professional dancer. You can continue to dance because you love to do it, but do it on a different level and with a different purpose. That way you can still do other things and enjoy your school and friends and hanging out, etc. But at your age, stopping altogether and then trying to get back to the level you would need to be for a career would be very difficult. These years are critical in the training of a dancer, and very, very few would be able to stop for any length of time and then pick it up again at the same level.

[pinkpineapple239]

I know we aren't supposed to give advice but maybe try dropping a Friday class to see what it's like to have some fun with friends.