Am I too late?

[pointeshoes14]

I'm a fourteen year old dancer and I have a great passion for ballet! I took ballet for 5 or 6 years starting when I was three but stopped because I was losing my love and enjoyment of it. I then became a competitive gymnast for five years but finally decided to return to ballet around January 2007. For around 5 months I took one or two ballet classes a week which were an hour each. The focus at that school was not on ballet, but instead on their competitive drill teams, so our instruction wasn't always the best.

 

I switched to a serious ballet focused school in May 2007. I now take 3 one and a half hour classes a week and I just got my pointe shoes in November. I hope to be moving up to our next level this summer which would add a one hour pointe class to my schedule. I've participated in all (that are open to me) of our performances (Nutcracker and Coppelia) and I'm in the Junior Company. I also demonstrate for two little girl ballet class and one jazz class and I will be helping at our little girls ballet summer camp along with taking a 4-week intensive.

 

Unfortunately I am a military brat and move every year or two (I will be moving late this summer) but it does come with a plus... I will be homeschooled and I'm going to study as intensely as possible. I would love to dance professionally, major in ballet in college, and eventually own my own ballet studio with classes for mentally and physically disabled children. I was just wondering if there is any chance for me to become a professional ballerina either in college or later and what I could do to increase my chances of this happening.

 

Thanks

Edited June 6, 2008 by pointeshoes14

[vrsfanatic]

pointeshoes14 welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers! You seem to have such a great goal! I applaud you for your long term ideas of how to help so many by using ballet as a tool for physically and mentally disadvantaged children.

 

As always, there is no crystal ball regarding one's professional future in ballet. The one sure thing however is that without professional instruction, the chances of succeeding in the professional world of ballet are slim. When you move, later this summer, will you be moving to an area where you are able to study ballet at a high level? You are now in an age group that requires serious study. You should be in a class level that meets 4-6 days a week. Consistency of training is another important factor. So much time is lost when you must always start over again with a new teacher. It takes quite a few months for the new teacher to figure out who you are and what is your actual level. It can take quite a bit of time for the student to figure out what the new teacher wants. You are asking the right questions and have already made positive changes in your studies to propel yourself forward. Don't look back, just keep going forward. Only time and serious study with good teachers can give you the answers you are seeking.