5 Things To Expect When Returning To Ballet
1. You will fall in love with ballet all over again!
Returning to ballet classes as an adult feels just like coming home! Standing at the barre is akin to reconnecting with an old friend. You know the barre has always been a part of your life and is glad to have you back. The music will start for plié and if you’re anything like me, you’ll get a little teary and wonder why you stayed away for so long! Despite the aching muscles you know you’ll feel in coming days, you won’t want to be anywhere else.
2. Your body may feel unresponsive
Your physique will be entirely different to when you trained in earlier years. However, muscle memory is an amazing thing. Your brain will send the same signals to your muscles that it did when you were last training. Your muscles, on the other hand, won’t necessarily respond the way you remember! You may catch your reflection in the mirror and wonder where your arabesque line disappeared to. You’ll suspect that your turn-out has gone to the Greek Islands, never to return. Take heart in the knowledge that with regular attendance, your strength and placement will rebuild. New muscle memory will replace old and the joy of moving through the motions of an adult ballet class will feed your soul.
3. Your “ballet brain” has faded
“Glissade, jété derrière, pas de bourré, changement”. In my first adult ballet class after 15 years away from training, I was immediately struck with the thought, “these words sound so familiar but if I don’t see them, I won’t be able to do them.” The language of ballet is like any other language – you have to use it regularly to maintain it. If it has been some time since you’ve attended classes, you’ll be placed in a class where every enchaînement is fully demonstrated by your teacher. This combination of seeing and hearing will help to refresh your “ballet brain”. Just remember that although it doesn’t all come rushing back at your first class, it does come back!
4. Age and life experience will enhance your dancing!
Ballet comes from the heart. It is a physical communication of our emotions, supported by careful technique. As Balanchine said, “Young people can dance steps but you have to be much older to really dance!” Quite simply, the more life experience you have, the more expression can be injected into your dancing. Artistic expression is what transforms the steps into dance. We may not have the technical wizardry of young dancers but artistically, we can dance rings around them!
5. Patience brings rewards
The process of strengthening and refining technique is gradual, but your patience will be well-rewarded. Be gentle with yourself and don’t set unrealistic expectations in early days. Allow your body the time it needs to reconnect with classical technique, which, depending on your age and time away from classes, could be anything from two to six months. Work sensibly and ‘within your range’ and you’ll notice small improvements every class. It is critical to take away from class what you loved and leave any frustrations behind. Most importantly, enjoy the luxury of having ballet in your life again!
8 Comments
Hi, I would like to do a question. I am 29 y.o. can I still would be able to practice ballet?
Absolutely Araceli! Ballet is a wonderful activity to commence at your age and we’d be delighted to welcome you to the school. You would be an ideal candidate for our Entry Level 1 class so please use the contact form on the website or call 1300 739 483 and I will help to register you for the January 2016 intake! I look forward to hearing from you.
Any chance you will be opening classes in the Chelsea / Patterson lakes area?
Hello Linda. Thank you for your question. There is no immediate plan to open a studio in that area but who knows what the future may hold? We have a lot of students come to our Mitcham studio from Chelsea and they find the trip via Eastlink to be remarkably simple and quicker than expected. If you’d like to give it a try, please contact me on 1300 739 483. We’d be delighted to welcome you!
What do I have to do to get a campus of Elancé opened in the western suburbs… Altona/Wyndham…? I miss ballet so much and there is nothing out this way to cater to adults who want to receive proper training without being the only one over 15!
Hi Hayley! We’d love to have you in the school! Are you in Altona? If so, do you know that you’re only 15 minutes from our lovely studio in Flemington? It could be ideal for you. I’d love to hear from you and chat further. Warmly, Dianne.
Hi there, my name’s Casey, and I did ballet for six years, but I also stopped about 6 years ago. I was wondering what your thoughts are about returning to ballet and if you have any tips?
I still have rather good flexibility in my feet and legs but I weigh 115kg. Most of the weight comes from the amount of muscle in my legs and I’ve been doing CrossFit 3-4 times a week for a year and a half now.
Hi Casey! What a great question…. My number one tip is to be kind to yourself when you return to ballet classes. Choose a class level that will allow your body to safely and gradually reconnect with classical technique. Do not force turnout. Focus on posture and strength through your core. Give your ‘ballet brain’ time to readjust too! So “gently, gently” is my advice. A dance physiotherapist could also be a great support to help you prepare for returning to ballet.