"Honey it's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle!"

[Michelle_Richer]

 

When your on your summer break you fill it with more dance.

 

Wow does that mean I qualify, 3 x 1 week summer schools in a row and a two day weekend workshop?

[Katymac]

Yep definitely

 

DD only had:

4 days Ballet & Contemporary (long weekend)

+ 8 days MT (should have been 2 weeks missed 2 days because of long weekend)

+ 4 days rehearsals (spread over 2 weeks - but coming home from holiday for 2 of them)

+ 4 days of Jazz

[Mariska]

When your ds biggest birthday present wish is a wall-attached ballet barre in his room (9)

[Dance*is*life]

When you always walk down the stairs with feet turned out and when you hang around waiting for someone you usually stand in 4th.

[lartiste]

When your every holiday for the past four years involves attending ballet intensives i.e. you used to be well travelled and now you can't remember the last time you used your passport - if a country doesn't have ballet then you're not going to visit

 

When you are constantly checking balletcoforum for new ballet intensives to attend that you might not yet have heard of

 

When your every purchase is ballet wear and pointe shoes and you're constantly clicking refresh to see when ballet online stores have new leotards

 

When your internet browsing history is filled with ballet and not much else lol.

 

When if your family or friends ask where you are 6 days out of 7 they know you will be in the studio or doing something ballet related

 

When the only reason you go to the cinema is to watch live ballet broadcasts

 

When you know down to the second when new tickets will be released for the performances you want to see

 

When you plan everything months in advance, or sometimes years, based on new performances by your favourite dancers or favourite company

 

When you make a 3-4 hour round trip every day to attend summer intensives and think nothing of it

 

When every pound you earn goes towards ballet

 

When you've tried every known style of ballet that you're aware of, and you're still willing to travel further afield and try modern and contemporary and jazz, salsa, tango, merengue and ballroom just in case there is anything that you can learn from these styles to incorporate into ballet.

 

When you take classes with as many different teachers as possible to try and learn something new

 

When you sneak in to professional class so that you can up your number of hours in the studio - even though you know you're going to be out of your depth

 

When you're scared to calculate how much you've spent since you started ballet on lessons, performances, dancewear...

 

When your book shelves are filled with ballet books and your library card is a who's who of the ballet world and ballet biographies

 

When you can't imagine doing anything other than taking as much class as possible to become a better dancer

 

When you can't imagine living without dance, it's what you get up in the morning to do and the last thing you practice at night

[straceydor]

When your ds biggest birthday present wish is a wall-attached ballet barre in his room (9)

I have just had a basic barre walled fitted for under £20

[Loulabelle]

Dance*is*life, I still find myself doing this and I haven't danced myself for 30 years!!

 

Also when watching your DC perform whether on stage or in class, you find yourself stretching your feet, pointing your toes and subconsciously doing every step with them!

[Michelle_Richer]

What about this then: I was sat on a park bench in Hyde Park last night just prior to going to my ENB classes, doing a 150 reps each foot with a resistance band, a guy came and sat on the seat beside me but didn’t say anything, not sure what he thought, probably that I was mad. He went after a while.

[alison]

When you always walk down the stairs with feet turned out and when you hang around waiting for someone you usually stand in 4th.

 

That reminds me of something I may once have mentioned on the old site: back in my later years at junior school, I acquired an old ballet annual or Princess Tina ballet book or something dating, I think, from the 50s and it contained a photo with a caption something along the lines of "This is [name]: she's a ballet dancer.  You can tell this from the way she's standing turned-out at the bus stop."  Even now, I occasionally find myself looking at people's feet at the bus stop or tube station to check whether their feet are turned-out

[Sheila Beelam]

Michelle, that made me giggle! Sx

[Michelle_Richer]

Michelle, that made me giggle! Sx

Well it should, it was one of your resistance bands. The previous week I was on the steps to the Royal Albert Hall doing the same thing. x

[Thecatsmother]

I tend to do my foot exercises in front of the TV. A bit more private and attracts less attention even though I do get caught out sometimes for standing with my feet turned out in the 'normal world'. I blame my mother of course for taking me to ballet at 2.5-I had no interest in this area of course????

[Dance*is*life]

There's a film with Baryshnikov called "Dancers" all about an American ballet company filming Giselle in Italy. I always remember the opening sequence - hot (or cool as you wish) Italian guy zooms up to the station (or was it airport don't remember) on his motor bike. He's looking for the latest recruit to the company, just arrived from the States.

 

His eyes fall on a beautiful young woman standing in a perfectly turned out 4th position and of course he knows right away that that is her! It sounds such a cliche, but of course we all know that it's actually true to life There's just something about the look of a dancer..........

Edited August 23, 2013 by Dance*is*life

[taximom]

Was watching a documentary a couple of nights ago on TV all about the London Underground. There was a shot if standing passengers feet and very clearly was a dancer doing their foot exercises, loved it!