Doing competitions as an adult

[Scuballerina]

whoa, sending my best wishes for silkmaiden, morningloire and nicolette. you are all so inspiring!!!

[appleblossom]

I got bitten by the serious ballet bug later in life and am now studying with the pre-pros and dancing 6 nights a week. I performed with a small company in The Rite of Spring, I've done a couple of small Eisteddfodds, and I'm about to audition for Nutcracker. I wish I'd loved it this much as a child and had this many opportunities.

[Victoria Leigh]

Silkmaiden, you are a full Member, with 80 posts, so you do have PM privileges here.

[Acb001]

I competed in ballet and lyrical starting when I was 21 and stopped when I was 26. I’m thinking about going back. The only pitfalls to competing as an adult is that the age groupings can really tank you. There’s a difference between a kid who just turned 20 and has been actively taking class all along and an adult who is just coming back after 10+ years off or who is just getting started. You do get separated out by ability level (recreational, intermediate, etc.), but if you’re the only one in your category for your age group, you’re not truly competing against anyone. In retrospect, in terms of training advancement, I don’t think I really got anything more out of the actual competitions and the critiques I got back. I did learn a lot in the process of getting read for competition. My advice, keep the entry fee and sign up for private lessons with an emphasis on choreography and performance. If you’re a beginner, you’re not going to get any life changing advice in the 3 minutes that you’re on stage. Your teachers are already being paid to tell you to point through your foot and keep your shoulders down. You don’t need to drop $100 on an entry fee and more on a costume just to have 3 more people tell you the same thing. If you’re a more advanced dancer, competition can offer an added challenge, but you need to be highly motivated and always looking to compete against yourself essentially. I just don’t think it’s worth the money when you could spend it on private lessons instead. There are other performance opportunities available that won’t cost you anywhere’s near as much.