Plie22

No- will check them out

I'm an early 20s male who decided to leap back into the world of ballet last year after several years away. I've been going to a fairly regular class in my home city in the south of the UK, where I've really settled but found it quite challenging to reach that point. Teacher is pretty strict with uniform and the class is quite quiet and almost antisocial....I'm quite an upbeat and cheerful person, so find the class almost depressing! I travel a lot with my job, which means I am able to sample different casual ballet classes when time permits- today I've been working in Leeds, so decided to go to the Northern Ballet drop in class for beginners. I made a slight faux pas and rocked up to the class in full RAD ballet kit and was one of the few who did...thank goodness I'm not self conscious! Having sampled probably 10-15 casual classes over the past 18 months or so, in addition to my regularly weekly class, never have I been in awe of such a brilliant teacher- his energy and charisma really flew around the studio and it was evident that he cared about each and every person in the class. He also gave different routines and options based upon ability and gave a real focus to the students who had never seen a barre before....bless them! Now, I feel awfully guilty as it's really highlighted how much I simply tolerate my usual class and in reality, only go to it because it's the only one in my area. If anyone happens to know of a sociable adult class in the Bristol area that would welcome me with open arms, please let me know! If anyone happens to know Chris at Northern Ballet, please do pass on my compliments- his dedication and enthusiasm is admirable! I hope to come back soon when I'm in the area.

Hi everyone, I already attend an adult class which is at intermediate foundation level with the most wonderful group of ladies who really seem to appreciate my presence and humour (without sounding cocky). My existing teacher advised me to attend a local graded class, so this evening I went to a grade 8 RAD class just down the road which is super convenient after work. I was a little nervous about joining this new class, so left my leotard at home and just wore shorts and a tshirt to I met the teacher on the way into the studio where there was a group of grade 8 students sat on the floor getting ready.....once again, the usual giggles, whispers and stares started when they realised that I was the new boy in class! For some reason it really knocked my confidence especially as I jokingly said to them "I bet you don't see many boys in here" and got a load of stares, oops! It's such a shame that there's so much taboo over males in class; I didn't take it too personally, but found it quite off putting and made me feel very self conscious! I'm going to try and persevere and blend in, it's just very difficult as a 23 year old boy in a class full of 18-20 year old girls! Any tips or advice?

Hi everyone, I've recently started a new job which sees me spending most of my life in hotels in Leeds and London, therefore meaning that I can't attend my normal adult ballet classes back at home. Has anybody got a recommendation of a suitable beginners class in Central London and Leeds which are drop-in? I've googled London and most classes I've found require you to commit to an entire semester, which isn't possible for myself at the moment. Thanks in Advance! A

Hello, I'd be interested in the following: 1 Porselli white leotard with short sleeve size 5 2 Porselli black leotards, vest like, size 5 1 Arabesque black stirrup ballet leggings size XL

Hello everyone- Just a quick update from me, as I finally made it to another ballet class last night and I had the most wonderful time. I've found a small class of just 3 other students in the next village from where I live taught by a really charismatic and supportive ex RAD teacher. Needless to say, in the run up to the class yesterday afternoon I was super super nervous which lasted right up until I walked into the studio. As soon as I arrived both the teacher and the ladies in the class welcomed me and really made me feel at ease. I overcame the "Ahhh, what do I wear dilemma" by wearing my Leo under a shorts and Tshirt along with my ballet shoes. Hopefully on a few weeks once I'm fully settled, I'll wear my proper dancewear! It's obvious that in the years that I haven't danced, I've forgotten quite a lot- but hopefully plenty of practice and perseverance will enable me to get better with time. It was lovely for the teacher to say how she loves having a boy in the class and the girls agreed, I just have to try my best to get up to speed with the rest of the class. Huge thanks to you all for your support online, the ballet bug has well and truly bitten me again and I'm already excited for my next class! A

Thanks so much for the support everyone, it really is appreciated I've found a small class a couple of miles up the road with 5/6 other students, so hopefully this will enable me to gain the confidence and ability to go and join one of the larger classes in Bristol in the not so distant future! In terms of dancewear, it seems logical for me to go to my first few classes in shorts and a tight tshirt before moving towards wearing tights or a Leo- I always used to dance better when wearing the correct kit! I'll keep you updated as to how my next class goes; hopefully it'll be a case of 3rd time lucky!

I think it's very much the wall of silence which causes the awkwardness for me; I think it's just a case of me having to persevere and I'm sure it'll all work out for the best in the end!

That's exactly it in a nutshell- I guess that I'll be seen as N anomaly somewhat so the "omg it's a bloke" should be expected. Hopefully it doesn't last too long!

That's always a possibility as I travel the country with my job quite often- I would however much prefer to stick to one local class if at all possible!

Thanks for your support!

I'm afraid I'm not; it is indeed a shame as I totally didnt expect it as I never really encountered it when I was dancing as a kid

Hi, I'm after a boys 4/5 leotard and leggings/tights- not too bothered as to style as this will be my spare set to keep in my kit bag, I didn't fancy paying £50 at the local dancewear shop for my spares! #PoorGraduate Many Thanks!

Based in Bristol now, however I went to this two classes in South Wales as I'm often there in the evenings for family etc.

Thanks Stirrups, I Facebook messaged him via his page earlier on today so hopefully he replies soon!

Hello everyone, Male recent re-starter here and I'm currently in the process of trying several different ballet to find the perfect class for my somewhat lacking ability. As a 23 year old male, starting ballet has been quite daunting after having a gap of several years. I've been to some adult/teenage classes recently and it's been quite obvious that the environment has been quite cliquey; that really doesn't bother me as I can appreciate that when you dance with the same people every week, you're going to become friendly. The first class I went to was nerve-wracking enough, as soon as I walked into the academy that the class was held at, the receptionist almost interrogated me as to why I was coming into the building. When the teacher arrived, we had quite an awkward chat about ballet and the academy. 6 adult ladies turned up before the class started and it really seemed as if they were unimpressed at my presence and that I was invading their class. After the class, I tried making polite conversation and it was met with some animosity. All in all, not a fantastic start! 3 nights later, I went to a fairly big dance school to their intermediate-foundation class where the other people in the class were all female and around 5 years younger than me. I rocked up at the dance school, got changed into my kit and walked into the studio. I swear that you could have heard a pin drop as the girls getting ready to dance turned around and glared at me. This was then followed by giggles and whispers, which continued when we swapped from barre to centre and after the class. I found it quite comical, but a couple of times the teacher addressed the class as "girls" which was met with much laughter by the girls in the class. I appreciated that it's probably habit, but it did absolutely nothing to help my confidence! I know that this is always going to be fairly likely that this may happen, but it's really knocking my confidence, making me feel rather disheartened and making me wonder whether my decision was indeed the right one? I'm fairly body conscious when wearing ballet kit and don't expect to be given special treatment as a male in ballet. I just feel that perhaps the teacher could have done more to help me become a little more integrated in the second class. Any advice would be appreciated- I'm going to try another new class next week and really hope that it goes well. I have spoken with the teacher who has given me her assurances that the "other people in the class are lovely" but the two previous teachers said this too, so I'm a little nervous! Plie22

This is a follow up thread to my original back in January; I've attached it below! I'm trying to find a boys/male ballet class in Bristol- can anybody help? Recently moved up from Wiltshire where I really struggled to find a suitable class! Hopefully somebody on here will have a contact, although I appreciate that finding a male technique class is a bit of a tall order! Thanks in advance P22 Original Post: My first post here, so my apologies if it's in the wrong section! I've recently finished university, entered the big wide world of work and would absolutely love to start ballet again; I went to a high school which offered RAD ballet and last took lessons around 5 years ago at grade 5. Whilst in University, I tried a few different classes in the town I was living- I tried a grade 6 class which was great, but being the only boy with girls a few years younger was a little awkward despite the teacher making me feel very welcome. I also tried an adult class which was a little too advanced, the teacher really belittled me and made me feel to be an inconvenience but the other students in the class really accepted my presence which was nice. Understandably I'm finding it a little daunting to start dancing properly again, but I feel that its almost a "now or never" scenario, as otherwise I'll continue to put it off and definitely regret it. I just feel that breaking past the taboo of males doing ballet is sometimes quite difficult when actually trying to find a suitable class. I've just relocated to Somerset/Wiltshire area, so would really appreciate it if somebody could point me in the right direction towards finding a good school or teacher that would be able to accommodate me! Plie_22

Thank you for the warm welcome everyone and for so many helpful replies; it's great to receive advice from a few different perspectives. I'm based just outside of Bath,so will definitely do some digging and try and find out more about "34"; I've done a quick google and couldn't find much, so maybe if you could PM me with some more information that would be fantastic! I really appreciate your post; I would definitely be interested in following a similar curriculum as yourself; alas, its just trying to find the correct teacher and class so hopefully I find something too. I can see where you're coming from regarding the awkwardness; I'm certain that after the first few lessons, I'll become part of the furniture and start to feel more comfortable!

Hi everyone, My first post here, so my apologies if it's in the wrong section! I've recently finished university, entered the big wide world of work and would absolutely love to start ballet again; I went to a high school which offered RAD ballet and last took lessons around 5 years ago at grade 5. Whilst in University, I tried a few different classes in the town I was living- I tried a grade 6 class which was great, but being the only boy with girls a few years younger was a little awkward despite the teacher making me feel very welcome. I also tried an adult class which was a little too advanced, the teacher really belittled me and made me feel to be an inconvenience but the other students in the class really accepted my presence which was nice. Understandably I'm finding it a little daunting to start dancing properly again, but I feel that its almost a "now or never" scenario, as otherwise I'll continue to put it off and definitely regret it. I just feel that breaking past the taboo of males doing ballet is sometimes quite difficult when actually trying to find a suitable class. I've just relocated to Somerset/Wiltshire area, so would really appreciate it if somebody could point me in the right direction towards finding a good school or teacher that would be able to accommodate me! Plie_22