Guest Hilz Posted April 25, 2002 Report Share Posted April 25, 2002 Hi, I am 15 and have been dancing for 13 years. I do ballet, modern, theatre and tap, but I want to be a ballet dancer more than anything. I am sitting my RAD Grade 8 and Elementary (now called intermediate) in November. The main problem is that I am 5"8. Is this too tall to be a ballet dancer with most companies? I understand that there is a height restriction due to the necessity that the corps de ballet look similar. Thanks a lot for you help Hilz xxx Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted April 25, 2002 Report Share Posted April 25, 2002 5' 8" too tall? Not in some companies! Pacific Northwest Ballet, for example, is famous for its "size extra longs" and they're not the only ones! Link to comment
Guest gwschloss Posted April 25, 2002 Report Share Posted April 25, 2002 There are plenty of companies in Europe that have a regulation that you have to be tall, because their corps is very tall. And if you're looking in North America, there are some principle dancers that are even taller than their male partner, and they dance. So the answer is no. You're not too tall. gwschloss Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted April 26, 2002 Administrators Report Share Posted April 26, 2002 Hello Hilz, welcome to Ballet Alert! Online, and especially the Young Dancers' forum! I agree with the other posts, and personally, I like tall dancers very much, as long as they use their height well, dance BIG, and don't try to minimize themselves in any way. We have a lot of tall dancers these days here in this country! Link to comment
Guest Hilz Posted April 26, 2002 Report Share Posted April 26, 2002 Thanx a lot, thats made me feel a lot better about my height, it was starting to get me down!! Thank again, Hilz xx Link to comment
Guest sarah_ballerina Posted April 26, 2002 Report Share Posted April 26, 2002 reading this thread has just helped me a lot because i'm 13 and alreay 5 6 ! it was really bothering me for awhile so thanks for cherring me up! Link to comment
Guest Luv2Dance Posted April 27, 2002 Report Share Posted April 27, 2002 I also want to be a ballet dancer, but I'm 5' 2" right now (I'm 14), and I'm afraid that I won't grow much more. Am I too short? :confused: ~Luv 2 Dance Link to comment
Guest gwschloss Posted April 27, 2002 Report Share Posted April 27, 2002 Definately not! There are some dancers that I know of that are 4'11 to 5'1 ish. 5'2 is not too short. gwschloss Link to comment
Guest Anna Posted April 28, 2002 Report Share Posted April 28, 2002 i am 5ft 10 and want to dance professionally- it isn't going to stop me, as long as i have what they are looking for- a confident stage presence and good technique. Anna Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted April 28, 2002 Report Share Posted April 28, 2002 For the longest time, ballet companies were looking for women who huddled in height around the national average, about 5' 4", or even the short side of that to make partnering easier on the men! Then the "Balanchine look" of the sixties came on, and taller girls became the mode. Since the nineties, more and more companies are looking less and less at height and more and more at technique, personality and projection in order to fill the casting requirements of their repertoire, or sometimes just to "buck the trend" in identifying dancers by height! Link to comment
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