Ballet & Anorexia?

[Skadi]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the k8 board or here...

 

Just how prevalent are eating disorders in classical ballet studios? We're considering this for an extracurricular, but the last thing I want is to subject a young girl to a mentality that being skinny is essential to being a great dancer (not that I expect the teacher to insinuate anything, but her peers might).

 

So hypothetically, would a girl who isn't thin be ostracized at a ballet studio?

 

Even if the girl isn't plump, are eating disorders more common in the ballet studios for young adolescents?

 

Or is this kind of thing relegated to the extremely competitive dancing schools, etc.?

[Little Nyssa]

:bigear:

[DianeW88]

My dd is a professional ballerina and a university student with a ballet scholarship. I have spent more hours of my life in a dance studio than I care to recall. :lol:

 

So....in a pre-professional ballet school where the focus is on becoming a dancer and all the girls in the class have the talent to do so, there is definitely an "awareness" of how thin you are. Most schools these days will dismiss a dancer with an eating disorder outright. They don't have the time and they won't deal with it. My dd had two girls leave her school because of eating disorders (she attended a ballet boarding school, although since we're local, she lived at home).

 

Having said that....the girls are taught about healthy eating, nutrition, etc., etc. ad nauseum. But they are ballerinas and it is necessary to be thin. A slightly underweight ballerina in person looks normal on stage. An overweight ballerina...even if it's just five or ten pounds...looks fat on stage. There is also the chance that the costumes will not fit an overweight girl. They are generally made with a ballerina's body in mind.

 

In a recreational ballet school, none of this matters. In a pro-school, where girls are always competing for roles (and don't be fooled, if the school is also part of a company, every class is an audition for a role), the girls all know who has a "ballet body" and who doesn't. Those who don't aren't taken very seriously as dancers.

 

So really...it depends on the culture of the school. But as far as actual eating disorders go...I've only known maybe 3 girls who for sure had one. This is over the span of ten years.

[chepyl]

I would be very careful where you take her. If you want a strictly classical studio, if it is attached to a company, go see a performance. See who they put in th company.

 

Go view a clads, see who is in class and how the teacher interacts with the kids. I have always worked in very accepting studios. We had students of all sizes, we did end up with an anorexic student. We watched her eating, her friends and classmates came to us, we spoke to her mother -who was in denial- and finally with her.

 

In my high school classes, we again had students of all sizes, no comments were made about anyone's size. My senior year, we had a girl so thin you could count her ribs from across the room. Our teachee addressed the issue and she eventually got some help.

 

 

My point is, it happens everywhere (even outside of dance and gymnastics), you need to be xomfortable with the studio environment. What costumes do they choose, do they choose costumes that will flatter larger girls as well as the tiny ones?

 

Most important, you must stay involved. Talk with your daughter about class. Allow her to share what she is feeling. Get to know the teacher so you feel comfortable asking questions.

[Bassoonaroo]

We are in a Christian studio that emphasizes being healthy and strong. The girls hear from pre-teen years on, how important good nutrition is and how any body type can dance. We've even got the sweetest little girl with CP who is trying so hard. That's the spirit!!

 

Some girls struggle with being overweight and other girls might even have a low BMI but be truly "big boned" with wide hips, thick wrists, broad shoulders and big feet. Or they are very short. Or quite busty... Wanting to dance is not limited to slender, tall girls with "the look."

 

Regardless of whether it is genetics or a few too many cookies, how do the less than slender and tall do at the studio you are considering? Do the bigger girls hit a glass ceiling or can they advance despite being a bit bigger? Do the skinny girls look down their noses at the bigger dancers? Do the teachers encourage weight loss or do they encourage being strong and eating well? Do they encourage dancers to speak up if they know of someone flirting with an eating disorder?

 

Other studios have a sub-culture of the thinner the better and there is pressure from other students (and sadly some teachers) to get unhealthily skinny. Sometimes it's said aloud, "You need to lose 10 pounds this month or you won't be in the show" and sometimes it's very subtle, where the intermediate class is the highest class you'll ever find chubby, short, funny-looking kids that have big noses, etc. The advanced classes are reserved for the tall, slender, and pretty girls.

 

I'd visit a few studios and talk to the parents waiting in the lobby, the teachers, and the other students.

 

And, yes, even at a studio that emphasizes healthy eating and exercise, you can get eating disorders simply because life is complex and all it takes is a comment from mom or dad, a snide comment from a cute boy, admiring a skinny actress to light the fuse...

[Harriet Vane]

On the one hand, I had a friend in college who was a ballet dancer, and who had struggled with an eating disorder.

 

On the other hand, I would not let that hold me back from enrolling my child in dance lessons. Rather, I would take the time over the years to communicate and educate about the not only the concern for that culture, but also about eating disorders and their effects.

 

There are many who do NOT struggle with eating disorders, so it doesn't make sense to me to reject dancing based on this.

[catz]

My daughter goes to a performance based multi discipline dance studio. So kids taking the full program will take a good chunk of ballet and into pointe. But they'll also take tap, jazz, composition. They have hip hop, etc. Our daughter's studio does not at all have this body type obsession feel to it. Some of the most amazing dancers there do not have the typical ballerina body by any stretch. And they still manage to turn out kids that go onto dance in college and beyond. And some that do very well at competitions locally at earlier ages. I never thought my daughter would be a dancer but I've been delighted with how empowering this studio has been for her in many ways. I would just look carefully. I would personally not be at all comfortable with any of this competitive body typing for a young girl. If she chose to want to pursue a more competitive environment later, that would be different.

 

I also know at least 1 local ballet company that is very intentionally casts it performances with non-traditional ballet bodies. They're all athletic of course, but not necessarily rail thin. It definitely serves to look carefully.

Edited February 14, 2012 by kck

[DianeW88]

There are many who do NOT struggle with eating disorders, so it doesn't make sense to me to reject dancing based on this.

 

:iagree: Most ballet dancers, even professional ones, do not have an eating disorder, simply because it isn't in their genes, so to speak. I believe there is a predisposition to this sort of thing, and being a ballet dancer in and of itself does not "make" you have an eating disorder.

 

Do professional ballet dancers have to be thin? You bet they do. Does that mean they're anorexic? No. My dd is thin. She's very careful about what she eats. She does not consume any junk food, soda pop or processed garbage. She eats a whole foods diet with lots of fruits and veggies. In fact, she's ALWAYS eating. LOL But when your diet is healthy and you are dancing for 6+ hours a day, you'll stay thin.

 

Now...if you have the same dance schedule, but instead of a salad with some grilled chicken and lots of veggies, some whole grain crackers and a yogurt for lunch, you eat a quick burger, a huge diet soda and a candy bar...you're going to struggle with keeping your weight down. It's all about good nutrition. My dd's studio had a dietician on staff that helped the girls with meal planning and nutrition. Made a world of difference.

[Murmer]

Be aware its not always the studio...when I danced 1 studio director was incredible about accepting all body types as long as they worked hard and could do the dancing. But it was the costumer for nutcracker that told me I need to lose weight...At another studio the director removed me from a part because I didn't lose the extra 10 lbs she wanted me to...I was at the thinnest I had been since puberty but had developed thighs and it just wasn't the "look" she wanted. But a true eating disorder is more than just about a dancers body, its about feelings of control and worthiness. Dancing may trigger it but there is more than just wanting to be thin or a person would not go to the extremes that they do. So look for a teacher who does not demean the dancers who helps them be better by pushing and praising but not demeaning.

[Dmmetler]

One of the things I look for in programs for DD is a variety of body types, on stage or competing in high level competitions, and within the same role category. That is, I don't want to see the stocky girls just as the rats in the nutcracker while all the major roles are held by sylph-like girls. I want to see a validation that health can happen in multiple body types and to find coaches and teachers who support DD, not tear her down. And from what I see, that seems to be pretty typical now. I haven't had problems finding programs that talk about healthy eating from day 1 and that encourage girls to be physically active and develop skills without focusing so much on weight, compared to what seemed to be typical in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

I've been on the border of bulimic since my teens, yo-yoing between weight gain due to binge eating and rapid weight loss due to extreme dieting and exercise, and it's, for me, mostly been a combination of low self-esteem and a need for control. It's taken years for me to get to the point where I feel good about myself and in control of my life enough to generally be able to maintain a healthy weight for my height without panic and falling into either extreme. And I can already see, in DD, the same sort of personality that made me vulnerable to eating disorders. I hope, though, that with support now (and by being out of the public school social situations which really did a number on my self image), she'll be more resilient than I was.

Edited February 14, 2012 by dmmetler

[Mergath]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the k8 board or here...

 

Just how prevalent are eating disorders in classical ballet studios? We're considering this for an extracurricular, but the last thing I want is to subject a young girl to a mentality that being skinny is essential to being a great dancer (not that I expect the teacher to insinuate anything, but her peers might).

 

So hypothetically, would a girl who isn't thin be ostracized at a ballet studio?

 

Even if the girl isn't plump, are eating disorders more common in the ballet studios for young adolescents?

 

Or is this kind of thing relegated to the extremely competitive dancing schools, etc.?

 

I think the problem isn't so much anorexia per se, but that a certain body type is required to be a serious dancer. Some women can eat like a normal human being to stay at that body type, but some have to resort to unhealthy means to do it. So, being anorexic isn't a requirement, but yes, being skinny is essential. Curves don't make for beautiful lines, apparently. :rolleyes:

 

This is the main reason why my dd can do any activity she wants except ballet.

[chepyl]

:iagree: Most ballet dancers, even professional ones, do not have an eating disorder, simply because it isn't in their genes, so to speak. I believe there is a predisposition to this sort of thing, and being a ballet dancer in and of itself does not "make" you have an eating disorder.

 

Do professional ballet dancers have to be thin? You bet they do. Does that mean they're anorexic? No. My dd is thin. She's very careful about what she eats. She does not consume any junk food, soda pop or processed garbage. She eats a whole foods diet with lots of fruits and veggies. In fact, she's ALWAYS eating. LOL But when your diet is healthy and you are dancing for 6+ hours a day, you'll stay thin.

 

Now...if you have the same dance schedule, but instead of a salad with some grilled chicken and lots of veggies, some whole grain crackers and a yogurt for lunch, you eat a quick burger, a huge diet soda and a candy bar...you're going to struggle with keeping your weight down. It's all about good nutrition. My dd's studio had a dietician on staff that helped the girls with meal planning and nutrition. Made a world of difference.

 

I think the problem isn't so much anorexia per se, but that a certain body type is required to be a serious dancer. Some women can eat like a normal human being to stay at that body type, but some have to resort to unhealthy means to do it. So, being anorexic isn't a requirement, but yes, being skinny is essential. Curves don't make for beautiful lines, apparently. :rolleyes:

 

This is the main reason why my dd can do any activity she wants except ballet.

 

I whole heartedly disagree that you must be thin to be a dancer! You must be healthy, but thin is not required. If you want to dance in the NYC ballet,yes, they look for tue typical ballet body; but I have a very dear friend who started in the dance ensemble of Hairspray and eventually understudied and when on in the lead role. She has been in the dance ensemble of many shows. The Lion King had dancers of varied body types, there is a local modern company that is popular and has varied body types. I have had beautiful dancer students who were not tall and thin. For jazz and modern, a smaller sorter frame can be advantageous. By hip hop teacher in high school never made it over 5ft. She danced all over the world amd in a few music videos.

 

All of those people studied ballet along with other styles, they are successful dancers without the body type. You just need to find the right studio and keep on top of it. Teach healthy eating habits and encourage the physical activity.

[abbeyej]

I think many reputable classical schools are *very* conscious of this heritage these days. Our school is attached to a professional company and, along with having their own physical therapist, they also have a nutritionist with a special focus on dance (though she also works with other types of athletes). While individual dancers may well struggle with weight and eating disorders, the overall focus of the school is on health, strength, and injury prevention. Older students are regularly invited to nutritional seminars (that focus on making good food choices to "fuel a dancer's body"), the vending machines offer relatively healthy, whole foods, etc.

 

There will always be pressure to be slim among those dancers hoping for professional careers. But any good school should be welcoming of different body types among younger students. And my experience has been that even among professional companies, there's a far wider variation in body types (height, weight) than there was even just 20 years ago. One still *must* be slim to be a professional ballerina. But the pressure to be ultra-thin has changed a bit in favor of long, lean, muscular, and healthy.

[jillian]

I'll be honest, this is one reason I'm hesitant to put dd in dance. I myself have struggled with disordered eating (and eating disorders, both bulimia and anorexia). I work hard to model healthy eating for my daughter but I worry about the genetic component. I would put dd in an all around dance class but not just classical ballet if that makes sense.

[DianeW88]

I whole heartedly disagree that you must be thin to be a dancer! You must be healthy, but thin is not required.

 

I was speaking only of classical ballet dancers in a classical ballet company. They still hold to the traditional standards for ballet. You cannot be overweight and be a company member.

 

Now, there are other ballet companies....Lines in San Franciso, for example, that focus more on contemporary ballet, and while you still have to be thin...you don't have to be skinny. There dancers are quite muscular. Not fat, however.

 

For a more traditional company...like San Franciso ballet, where one of my dd's teachers is a principal dancer (Tiit Helimets)...you still have to be skinny.

 

Here are links to some websites to show what professional ballet bodies have to look like (for those who are interested):

 

http://www.sfballet.org/

 

http://www.abt.org/education/programsfordancers.asp (shows your typical ballet student body..and the JKO school here is EXCELLENT. My dd has trained with Kevin McKenzie of ABT and she loved him. Amazing guy!)

 

http://www.linesballet.org/company/about/ (click on the gallery photos to see the more "normal" type bodies of the Lines dancers. Great summer program here, btw)

 

Two very well known ballet boarding schools with photos of typical students: https://www.kirovacademydc.org/ and http://therockschool.org/ (photos are off to the right)

[beaners]

Hmm, I hadn't seen this thread and I just asked a question about a very similar topic. I knew a lot of girls with eating disorders in college, but almost all of them had perfectionist traits. Not all of them were dancers. I'll be following this thread with interest.

[chepyl]

I was speaking only of classical ballet dancers in a classical ballet company. They still hold to the traditional standards for ballet. You cannot be overweight and be a company member.

 

Now, there are other ballet companies....Lines in San Franciso, for example, that focus more on contemporary ballet, and while you still have to be thin...you don't have to be skinny. There dancers are quite muscular. Not fat, however.

 

For a more traditional company...like San Franciso ballet, where one of my dd's teachers is a principal dancer (Tiit Helimets)...you still have to be skinny.

 

Here are links to some websites to show what professional ballet bodies have to look like (for those who are interested):

 

http://www.sfballet.org/

 

Ballet is my passion, it is what I love, it is what I teach. I am well aware of what moat classical ballet companoes look for in a dancer. I has been in the dance world for my whole life. I had the ballet body, but did not want the lifestyle. I was asked to attend Interlochen for high school and chose to stay home. I prefer teaching. But ballet is not the only dance there is. If a student does not have the ballet body, they can still dance, they just need the right studio.

 

There is an amazing modern/ballet company in Kansas City, they do not only hire typical dancers. I will say that their pieces are more beautiful than any pro ballet company I have seen.

 

The OP was concerned about eating disorders and body type, I was sharing info on other avenues a dancer can take.

[Bluegoat]

I'm fairly happy with the studio my daughter goes to, which is considered very good. All of the teachers have very healthy and fairly muscular bodies - the teacher for the younger girls is what might be considered heavy - probably around a size 16, but very fit.

 

They tend to emphasis being very strong and eating properly, not thinness. Bigger girls also get good roles if they can really dance.

[LibraryLover]

.

Edited February 17, 2012 by LibraryLover

[LibraryLover]

Height is an issue as well, yes? Different ballet companies have different requirements, but taller is better, is it not?

 

Diane, the other thing I need to talk about is the SI. I am not ready to send a 12 yr old off for 5 weeks. Do you think this is an issue yet? When is it most important? If we wait until 14 or 15, is that ok?

 

I was speaking only of classical ballet dancers in a classical ballet company. They still hold to the traditional standards for ballet. You cannot be overweight and be a company member.

 

Now, there are other ballet companies....Lines in San Franciso, for example, that focus more on contemporary ballet, and while you still have to be thin...you don't have to be skinny. There dancers are quite muscular. Not fat, however.

 

For a more traditional company...like San Franciso ballet, where one of my dd's teachers is a principal dancer (Tiit Helimets)...you still have to be skinny.

 

Here are links to some websites to show what professional ballet bodies have to look like (for those who are interested):

 

http://www.sfballet.org/

 

http://www.abt.org/education/programsfordancers.asp (shows your typical ballet student body..and the JKO school here is EXCELLENT. My dd has trained with Kevin McKenzie of ABT and she loved him. Amazing guy!)

 

http://www.linesballet.org/company/about/ (click on the gallery photos to see the more "normal" type bodies of the Lines dancers. Great summer program here, btw)

 

Two very well known ballet boarding schools with photos of typical students: https://www.kirovacademydc.org/ and http://therockschool.org/ (photos are off to the right)

Edited February 14, 2012 by LibraryLover

[DianeW88]

I was speaking only of classical ballet dancers in a classical ballet company. They still hold to the traditional standards for ballet. You cannot be overweight and be a company member.

 

Now, there are other ballet companies....Lines in San Franciso, for example, that focus more on contemporary ballet, and while you still have to be thin...you don't have to be skinny. There dancers are quite muscular. Not fat, however.

 

For a more traditional company...like San Franciso ballet, where one of my dd's teachers is a principal dancer (Tiit Helimets)...you still have to be skinny.

 

Here are links to some websites to show what professional ballet bodies have to look like (for those who are interested):

 

http://www.sfballet.org/

 

Ballet is my passion, it is what I love, it is what I teach. I am well aware of what moat classical ballet companoes look for in a dancer. I has been in the dance world for my whole life. I had the ballet body, but did not want the lifestyle. I was asked to attend Interlochen for high school and chose to stay home. I prefer teaching. But ballet is not the only dance there is. If a student does not have the ballet body, they can still dance, they just need the right studio.

 

There is an amazing modern/ballet company in Kansas City, they do not only hire typical dancers. I will say that their pieces are more beautiful than any pro ballet company I have seen.

 

The OP was concerned about eating disorders and body type, I was sharing info on other avenues a dancer can take.

 

Oh yes, I agree...there are lots of opportunities for dancers who don't have the "typical" ballet body, and no one should shy away from dance because they don't think they fit that profile! Dance is so much bigger than just classical ballet.

 

Maybe I misunderstood the OP's original question. I thought she was asking specifically about a ballet class in a classical ballet-only type school. In that circumstance, I think weight can be an issue for girls who don't fit the norm. In a studio that teaches many types of dance....I don't think it's that big a deal. And if the OP is concerned about body image type issues, I would probably avoid the ballet-only pro studio. They can be quite snotty about stuff like that. :lol:

[chepyl]

The female ballet instructors at our school are all slender, and the male teachers are fit and muscular. They do talk to the girls about not eating junk. One of the instructors is very clear that eating sugar and fast food is terrible for your health. If he sees a student walk into the building with a soda or mocha frappa anything, he tells them they better not bring that into his studio. None of the instructors have ever, ever commented on weight. It's all about health and feeding your body the nutrients it needs to be fit and have stamina for dance.

 

I was worried about this as well, but so far, so good. The girls are a variety of sizes and shapes, but it's true that the slender girls just look better on stage for ballet. I think theater & modern dance is a little different, and there can be more variety. My dd is very slender, but she comes from a long genetic line of women with breasts. I don't know how that is going to play out. Ballet is partly about making difficult things look easy. As the muscles work themselves silly and the heart beats out of it's chest, the dancer looks to be simply floating along. I think it's interesting that ice dancers tend to be a bit heavier. All the great ones seem to have some thigh. Not so in ballet. Not fair. ;)

 

One thing I have wanted to ask company dancers is whether liposuction and breast reduction is common? I know a woman (now well past the age of professional dance) who did have breast reduction at 19 years old. It made me sad to think of one so young having such a prodcedure, but she says she got more stage time after the surgery.

 

Figure skaters tend to have bigger thighs because of the weightlifting they do everytime they jump. Those skates are not super light. Contemporary and modern dancers also have bigger thighs a lot. It has to do with training. The stretch in ballet between movements helps lengthen the muscles. Contemporary dancers do a lot more jumping and rolling to the floor, etc. They don't get the same stretch between movements.

 

I don't think I can adequately explain it in writing.....I am more physical when it comes to descriptions of anything dance....

Edited February 14, 2012 by chepyl
phone typing....ugh!

[chepyl]

Height is an issue as well, yes? Different ballet companies have different requirements, but taller is better, is it not?

 

Diane, the other thing I need to talk about is the SI. I am not ready to send a 12 yr old off for 5 weeks. Do you think this is an issue yet? When is it most important? If we wait until 14 or 15, is that ok?

 

They must be shorter than the male lead if they are the female lead, shorter while on pointe even. You can be too tall to be a principal. Taller girls end up as featured soloists or corps dancers. (Or Rockettes!)

[DianeW88]

Height is an issue as well, yes? Different ballet companies have different requirements, but taller is better, is it not?

 

Depends on the artistic director. Some prefer taller, some prefer shorter. Pointe shoes are going to add 3-4 inches to the female dancer's height, so if she's already 5'7", she'll be 5'10" or more in pointe shoes. That may make her too tall to partner with the male dancers in the company. I'm 5'6" and when I partnered (loooong ago), I could only be paired with the tallest male in the company (who was 5'11").

 

My dd is 5'3" and that makes her about 5'6" in pointe shoes. That seems to work well with male partners. She doesn't tower over any of them.

 

If you're in a company that focuses more on ensemble pieces and less classical partnering...taller female dancers are usually preferred, because they do have those beautiful long lines.

 

And generally, in a classical company, they'll try and keep all of the female dancers in the corps de ballet around the same height. It just looks better on stage. Soloists and principals can be either taller or shorter than the corps.

 

But honestly, it's all based on the whims of the artistic director at the moment. And when artistic directors change, height requirements often change with it. Just happened here with Ballet West, as a matter of fact. LOL

[LibraryLover]

They must be shorter than the male lead if they are the female lead, shorter while on pointe even. You can be too tall to be a principal. Taller girls end up as featured soloists or corps dancers. (Or Rockettes!)

 

 

So there is too short and too tall?The instructor is really very encouraging of dd, SIs etc. There seems to be so much heartbreak in ballet...I'm torn.

Edited February 15, 2012 by LibraryLover

[chepyl]

So there is too short and too tall.

 

I would probably be too tall to partner, but a good height for the corps. I totally could have been a Rockette! I would not discourage the study of ballet for height. It is still amazing physical training. It helps develop discipline, poise, balance, and an appreciation for the arts. And....you never know what someone is looking for! Dance is great for math, too. ;) I used to so private lessons with a student who struggled in math. I would ask her math topic for the week and would apply it to her lesson in ballet....she got very frustrated a few times....but she passed math that year :) It could be a fun project....find the math in ballet class.

 

ETA: Yes, all performing fields have a lot of heartbreak. The people who can handle rejection and keep going are the ones who will make it. For every job my sister has been offered, she has had 10 rejection. It is so subjective. Appearance plays as much a part as talent. It is a tough world, some.people love it, and some people give up quickly. We had a cast member from Legally Blonde come speak to our kids, she auditions for the show 5+ times before she was cast! But she kept going and she got the part.

Edited February 14, 2012 by chepyl

[LibraryLover]

I would probably be too tall to partner, but a good height for the corps. I totally could have been a Rockette! I would not discourage the study of ballet for height. It is still amazing physical training. It helps develop discipline, poise, balance, and an appreciation for the arts. And....you never know what someone is looking for! Dance is great for math, too. ;) I used to so private lessons with a student who struggled in math. I would ask her math topic for the week and would apply it to her lesson in ballet....she got very frustrated a few times....but she passed math that year :) It could be a fun project....find the math in ballet class.

 

 

 

 

tmi

 

Age for SI?

Edited February 15, 2012 by LibraryLover

[DianeW88]

So there is too short and too tall.

 

ETA: I just read Diane's post on height. So 5'3" is not too small for most companies? That's good to know, as that's probably as tall as my dd is ever going to be. One of her instructors has said the same to me - it depends on the whims of the company/dicrector/show etc., although many companies are looking for only tall dancers. She is really very encouraging of dd's talents, SIs etc. There seems to be so much heartbreak in ballet...I'm torn. She loves it so much.

 

Yep, it's very dependent on the company. What we have found though is that some of the male dancers who are not from the US are shorter than American male ballet dancers, and cannot be paired with a girl who stands 5'9" in flat shoes. My dd recently partnered with a man from China who was only 5'8" inches tall.

 

So definitely encourage your dd's love for ballet. There is a lot of heartbreak, but there are a lot of wonderful lessons to learn as well. Overall, I'd say it's been an amazing experience for my dd. What I've found is that it can truly make you very emotionally strong. She has dealt with disappointment and success, and learned to handle them both gracefully.

 

The girls who really can't handle the competitive aspect (and the odd thing about ballet is that your best friends are also your biggest competitors), the personal criticisms and (sometimes) soul-crushing disappointment over losing a part....generally leave ballet of their own accord sometime in their mid to late teens. That's when the dancers really gets serious and focused and where a class of twenty can suddenly drop to ten the next year.

 

Make sure your dd attends good summer intensives (at a stay-away program with a major company). If she loves those and can't wait to go back, that's a good indicator that she's in it for the long haul. Hold onto your hat...you're in for a ride! :lol:

[chepyl]

For sure. One of my dd's greatest gifts is her musicality.

 

tmi

 

Age for SI?

 

 

Most of them that I have looked into are high school. There were a few, Interlochen's summer program was one, that took 11 or 12 year olds. I was in middle school when I auditions for my first SI, it was a two week camp. In high school there are longer options. Many ballet companies offer them. You can also find them for contemporary and modern companies. For younger students, if you have a local company, they may have a day camp for younger kids. I know the Kansas City Ballet did a couple years ago.

 

Ballet Magnificat has a good program as well, it is for high school.

[Mary in VA]

My 17 yo dd has been dancing since she was 4, classical ballet only. She has danced at three different pre-pro schools, one at a professional company. I can count only three girls in all that time who had eating disorders, but they worked through them with the school, professional help and their parents. A good school will be very aware of the issue and provide training on nutrition.

 

The bottom line is to be a professional ballet dancer you have to have a specific body type. It's not just thinness, but arches of feet, length of torso, turnout from the hips, and other things. It's just a fact of the art, kind of like the NBA not having 5'10" players :001_smile: So all the professionals the dancers aspire to be like are thin. But a good ballet school, even a pre-professional one, realizes that most of their dancers will not ultimately be professional and they want healthy dancers. A dancer can't dance well if she is starving!

 

Mary

[abbeyej]

You might like poking around here: http://dancernutrition.com/

 

There's also the book The Dancer's Way: The New York City Ballet Guide to Mind, Body, and Nutrition (though I wouldn't recommend buying it except for a serious dancer).

 

These resources might reassure you about the type of message dance companies and the associated ballet schools are trying to pass on to young dancers.