Why Ballet?

Ballet is one of the most beautiful and inspiring art forms in the world. To see what the human body can accomplish when the human heart is determined and devoted teaches all of us over and over that persistence overcomes limitation every time. And yet ballet goes far beyond the awe of physical accomplishment. For most of us who love ballet, it goes deep inside, to our hidden spaces. Those spaces that get covered up with growing up. those spaces that were real in childhood and completely out of reach in the adult world. Those spaces that not only believe in magic, but know that magic is alive in the world. Ballet is magical! The beauty of the dancer’s body and its liquid movement, the music and its choreography, the costumes and sets, and the exchange of human energy — audience and dancer. I once had a dancer, under the pressure of filling in for the injured lead three days before opening, victoriously perform the role. When asked how she did it with so little time to prepare, she said, “I was so scared, but so excited, too; and even though I often couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do next, somehow I just was able to do it.  Some how I just knew what to do!” Magic!

But this magic is accomplished with some real ingredients: “Real” hard work; “Real” good training; “Real” choices; “Real” commitment. It starts young, too.  Choosing a good school with excellent teachers who have credible training practices and policies. Working hard in class. Choosing a healthy lifestyle that includes right eating, getting sleep, keeping a balance of outside activities with dance activities. And at some point, choosing to go to class rather than go to something else.  There will be conflicts and opportunities from which choices must be made. The dancers we see on stage who inspire us to dream or believe, are the ones who walked that narrow road and chose ballet at every turn.

But is ballet right for you or  your child? Well, it’s not a choice made all at once.  It’s lots of little choices, all along the way.  First, want to take that dance class.  “Mommy, can I take ballet lessons?” When the child asks over and over, then it’s time. Or, maybe the other way around and it’s mom or dad who say, “Let’s go see Sleeping Beauty or The Nutcracker. I’ll bet you’ll like ballet.” Many a child has been transported by the grace of Aurora or The Sugar Plum Fairy and dreams of someday being that beautiful creature herself. Or sometimes it’s just that the best friend is taking ballet lessons and now your little child wants to take them too.  And so, the ballet journey begins!

Know that the excellent accomplishment of ballet is in the foundation. In the beginning of the journey. In the first five years. Those years when you are still making little choices as you go along.  The correct instruction at the barre with plie´, tendu, dégagé, rond de jambe, etc. will develop the muscles, tendons and bones, much like braces move teeth, slowly but surely, into a beautiful smile.  You want a knowledgeable and experienced teacher just like you want a knowledgeable and experienced orthodontist! Because whether you choose ballet for one year or you choose it for life, you want a proper foundation so you do have a choice! A choice to keep on going if ballet becomes the thing that motivates and inspires the youngster to achieve past all ostensible limitations!

Not all students fall in love with ballet.  Some just “like it.” But as in any relationship, it can alter or grow over the years. Falling in love at first sight is not the only way to fall in love. Some lovers come to the slow realization that this person who has always been a friend has evolved into the deepest and closest friend for life! It can be this way for those who come to love ballet. A slow process, with real accomplishments that lead to real commitments to a life style of ballet, or maybe modern or jazz in the later years; but always based on that initial strong foundation of good training, well placed joints and muscles, that set the limbs of the body free to move vigorously through space.

The magic of ballet is made of craft and effort. But that beautiful young dancer on the stage, leaping, spinning, and holding the delicate balance of a crystal figurine seems to be more than craft and effort. There is an unnamed ingredient. And maybe it is made up of all the people all along the way who had the wisdom to make the best little choices each step of the dancer’s journey, and who had the faith to believe that this little person could, step by step, choice by choice,  overcome each obstacle that led to this magic moment!