Dance World

Ballet Special-TROUBLES BEHIND THE TUTU

By Alexandra J., 15, from Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Wichita, Kansas

A Note to the Reader: I don't want to scare you away from the art that is ballet. I just think it's necessary for all people to know how much hard work goes into it. In this piece, I've used examples from my own life and my older sister's ten years of classical ballet training. My intention isn't to make anyone cringe the next time they see The Nutcracker, nor do I necessarily want you to all run out and enroll in a ballet class. However, if you hesitate before doing a girly impression of a ballerina, or look a little closer at ads for ballets in the newspaper, then I've accomplished my purpose.

"Now honey, you're not even tryin'", Miss Shannon would shout at a poor ballet student in the studio at Friends University. The student would blink back tears, remind herself that she had brought about this criticism and try to give her leg more height at the barre.

This student, along with so many others, would soon find out that she isn't cut out to be a ballet dancer, or at least not ready for Miss Shannon's class. After all, she couldn't quite follow the dress code rules, seldom came to class on time and didn't get in enough practice time.

This is nothing to be ashamed of because there are very few people who are cut out for ballet -- the kind of people who wake up at 5 a.m. every morning to practice. The kind of people who would never wear sandals for fear that someone might see their bloody and bruised feet.

If there's anyone who thinks they understand even the effort put into ballet from watching movies like Save the Last Dance, they are sorely mistaken. Nor will they know of the inner sense of reward dancers feel when Miss Shannon says "Not bad." These things must be felt in order to be truly understood.

When an aspiring ballerina is starting out, he or she must have dedication. Practice, practice, practice -- this is the first instruction any dancer gets. After seeing graceful movements like the arabesque and rond de jambe, one might think ballet looks easy. In reality, some dancers spend well over ten years in classical training just to master these beginner movements.

Also, don't call ballet wimpy, because nothing could be further from the truth. Point shoes -- ballet slippers designed for dancing on the tips of the toes -- are used only by the advanced dancers, and require a lot of strength to be worn. Dancers will spend hours upon hours en pointe to make productions like Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker look easy.

Ballet dancers also need mental endurance. They must be strong enough to constantly endure criticism.

In nearly every written description of ballet, there are two vital points missing -- passion, which drives the dancer in the very beginning, and talent, which feeds off their passion and makes the dream a reality.

While grace, moves and positions can be taught, discipline and determination cannot.

In the movie A League of their Own, a player on the women's baseball team quits because, "It just got... too hard." Her baseball's coach's reply was quick, and can be applied to ballet as well: "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, then everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

Ballet: The hard is what makes it great.