Ballet vs. ...

[unliketea]

Hello all,

 

Im a 22 year old male surrounded by a mostly male (and "macho") crowd of engineers (cards are stacked against me, i know), nevertheless, I'm interested in expanding my dancing. Up 'til now, I've been focused on swing dancing, east, west, lindy and have had alot of fun, however, I wanted to move into something more amenable to solo dance as well as something requiring a higher level of fitness.

 

I presume Ballet to be the extreme!

 

I'm looking at styles including jazz and hip hop but wanted the ballet perspective, thus I'm here.

 

If I'm not looking to go pro, should I still bother with ballet? And, though I know there is always benefit, is there a significant level of benefit from taking ballet classes in addition to jazz/hip hop?

 

Thanks

[Mel Johnson]

Sure, why not? You don't have to join the Army to "Be all that you can be".

[Joseph11]

Hello and welcome!

 

I do not presume to speak for any other members, but in my opinion, this will be a good fourm for you to learn from, if you serouosly want to dance ballet. I highly recommend reviewing previous posts, as I am certain most of your questions can be answered there.

 

The moderators here are wonderful, and have a lot of insight and wisdom to impart if you are open to what they have to say.

 

I have been a member for a short time, and do not have any hopes of dancing professionally. But like most members here, I have a great love and respect for the art of ballet, and I take my dancing quite seriously.

 

Like you, I am surrounded by a mostly "macho" crowd, but I have no fear of sharing my love of ballet with my friends and family - everyone is very encouraging, and even if you get an occasional snicker, that's okay - it won't hurt you!

 

In my opinion, there is a great benefit to ballet, even if you are not looking to go pro, but understand this art is not for everyone. Give it your best shot and if it is meant to be, i am sure you will reap many rewards from this wonderful art, and make many friends in the process.

 

Best of luck!

[MJ]

Welcome Unlike.

 

What style of music do you like? Latin, Classical, Jazz, Rap. Each has a dancing style associated with it

 

I find it difficult to dance to music I don't like, especially contemporary classical music or Baroque.

 

Try different dance, you will find something you enjoy. Dance is like breaething.

 

Mike

[olddude]

My two cents ...

 

I spent a career as an engineer, surrounded as you say by men if not macho men. Didn't start ballet classes until I retired at 55. It's pretty refreshing in that way. to be spending time with mostly women. My wife, also a scientist until retirement and now an artist and writer, has had a very similar experience, so it's not entirely a sexist experience! I do believe my life would have been better balanced if I had started earlier.

 

Most styles of serious dancing have ballet technique as their root. To my mind, it's like mathematics as the root of science and engineering. (OK, my first degree was mathematics so I may not be entirely objective here!) Still, several of my current classes are attended by jazz or modern or hip-hop or various other dancers, who take ballet class to foster their technique. I myself am barely at an "intermediate" level in ballet classes, but had no trouble starting a modern dance class at the beginning/intermediate level.

[unliketea]

Welcome Unlike.

 

What style of music do you like? Latin, Classical, Jazz, Rap. Each has a dancing style associated with it

 

I find it difficult to dance to music I don't like, especially contemporary classical music or Baroque.

 

Try different dance, you will find something you enjoy. Dance is like breaething.

 

Mike

 

Funny you should ask, because its the music which is orginally leading me to branch out from swing dancing. Big Band music is fun, but its not my choice of music. I enjoy classical and haven't listened to much Jazz or Latin. I've never been too partial to rap, but you can't help moving to a strong beat.

 

Yesterday I took a dance class at my gym. Hip Hop style choreography to hip hop music. It is geared to being more aerobic than dancy but boy was it fun! (Apparently I was also the first guy to join the class since they started the "body jam" recently)

 

I'm thinking I'm going to start taking whatever fits into my schedule. Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Modern and choose after I "feel my calling" even though I have no hopes of truly having a calling in dance, at least I'll find what I enjoy most.

 

My two cents ...

 

I spent a career as an engineer, surrounded as you say by men if not macho men. Didn't start ballet classes until I retired at 55. It's pretty refreshing in that way. to be spending time with mostly women. My wife, also a scientist until retirement and now an artist and writer, has had a very similar experience, so it's not entirely a sexist experience! I do believe my life would have been better balanced if I had started earlier.

 

Most styles of serious dancing have ballet technique as their root. To my mind, it's like mathematics as the root of science and engineering. (OK, my first degree was mathematics so I may not be entirely objective here!) Still, several of my current classes are attended by jazz or modern or hip-hop or various other dancers, who take ballet class to foster their technique. I myself am barely at an "intermediate" level in ballet classes, but had no trouble starting a modern dance class at the beginning/intermediate level.

 

Thanks, you hit the nail on the head for what I was looking for. I had a sneaking suspicion ballet would be one of those spring board dance techniques, but I wanted to hear someone else with experience say it!

 

Its refreshing to be moving again. I remember wrestling in high school and how responsive my body was. After only 5 years I can feel my body being about as responsive as a broken steering wheel on a bus. After only a couple days back at the gym and after my first body jam "dance" class, its, as you say, refreshing to feel sore again. :-D thanks for the feedback.