mimi66 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 We tend to moan about what we see as "not ideal for ballet" bits of our physical selves - feet, shapes of legs, turn out, flexibility, body proportions, [fill in the blank]. I know even professional ballet dancers do this from time to time. Indeed, the shopping list for desirable physical attributes for ballet dancers are so very long. But I had an "eureka" moment the other day. The long and endless list of desirable phsycal attributes mean that we are all born with at least one or two bits of those desirable features! I thought it might be fun to find and share those ballerina/ballerino bits in us or our DCs, in a very light-hearted way... Please limit your list for purely physical attributes - I know things like musicality, spatial awareness, logical mind also are important part, but for now please refrain from including them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi66 Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 So, here is a few of mine. I have longish but not too long arms and good width shoulder. Which gives me a bit moral booster when I work on my port de bras. I also seem to have long-ish achilles tendon - comes in handy as I love jumps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi66 Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) and my non-DH has beautiful feet with high arch - just like those seen in Botticelli's paintings (I believe his models were dancers..). I wish I had them instead, as my non-DH doesn't need them (for dance!). Edited May 12, 2014 by mimi66 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moka Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) I had lovely long legs and long limbs, including a long neck and lovely arms. Unfortunately I had no flexibility in the hips or turnout. Ah well, you can't have it all That's when I decided to go into musical theatre!! Edited May 12, 2014 by Moka 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I had everything, according to my ballet teacher but I was too old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayKwok Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Apparently I have decent feet. And... that's it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munchkin16 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 A long neck. Small head. Niceish arms. Guess my upper body could have been a dancer, shame about the bottom half! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billyelliott Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 DS HAS Long flexible graceful fingers (perfect for fiddle playing) make for lovely port de bra - I think, Natural bounciness and long Achilles' tendons , Expressive face especially eyes and mouth ! Too much energy !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I like Fiz was told I had 'it' all there by my 2nd teacher but that my mum had taken me to her too late! Although I believe my feet although nicely arched are too tapered and I'm too tall. DD is physically exactly like me but a much better dancer! Long legs, short body, albatross arms, high arched feet (although tapered like mine). Shes slim but not skinny but I suspect will be too tall as well. Non DS has lovely feet, high arches, nice square toes, wasted on him as he plays football 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 My son (who is a professional ballet dancer) blames me for his short legs and lack of flexibility in his lower back! But he gets his good turnout and strong feet from his dad. My daughter (who used to dance for fun/festivals etc) blames me for her boobs and hips. So you can probably tell from that, that I'm not made to be a dancer...... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I have a good jump, and a good plie but not a lot else was made to make ballet naturally easy! I always say that on the inside of me there's a ballerina dying to get out! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I've got nice hands - that's about it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancer Sugar Plum Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) I have long hamstrings so I have no trouble getting my hands flat on the floor and rising to demi-pointe - like that pose of a NYC Ballet dancer on the front cover of the NYC Ballet Workout book. Wish I could say I look as good as her though! I have also been told I am flat turned out in the hips but my feet don't match this unfortunately. Aparently it's a good thing to have slopping shoulders for female dancers. But then there are leotard types I have to avoid because the straps would slide off during class if they are not 'in' enough. I have sway-backed knees as well, which I don't find easy to work with. However, one day in class some years ago, 2 girls in their teens, who were aiming to have a career in ballet/dance asked the teacher what sway-backed knees were. The teacher asked me to stand up and turn sideways to the class. It just so happened I was the only one in that class with sway-backed knees so I got to be the exhibit! The teacher said that you never see ballerinas not having these knees. The 2 girls who asked the original question then asked how it was possible to learn this particular 'skill' ('skill was what they called it) to have sway-backed legs! To reassure everyone who reads this forum, I should mention that the teacher replied that it was something you are born with, and not something you can get or learn. Edited May 12, 2014 by Dancer Sugar Plum 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I like my arms. My turnout can stand to be worked on, plies are good according to my previous teacher but oh dear, I would kill for some decent extension. I wish to goodness I had found a decent class twenty years ago. I did start one but it was extremely basic and the other people there were only "having a laugh" and went because their children did ballet and were friends with the teacher. I only went to four classes as it was pointless. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) I have a long neck,long arms and legs, high insteps, and apparently according to Miss Urdang at the time, and Miss MacDonald at the Northern Ballet School 3 years earlier,a beautiful face for ballet. Pity you can`t dance with just your face then,i`d have been flying.LOL.!! Edited May 12, 2014 by thequays 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzysue Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 We always say that dd did very well genetically, getting the best from us both. Dance wise she got flexibility from me, her slender frame from my mum (it bypassed me!) and her musicality from her dad. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Dd has great turnout, lovely high arches , swayback knees & lots of musicality & expression. However she only sees that she has tight hamstrings & lower back, hyper flexible feet & she says swayback is a curse. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi66 Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 I was told I have a very flexible hip (for my age as well, I guess). The thing is I am not strong enough to be able to use the maximun range...yet... It is a typical case of "it is not what you've got, but how you use them". ....on my way to my class... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happymum Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I am very flexible (and strong at the same time), I have a very good turn out, small had/long neck, very graceful arms but... I sadly never did ballet :-( But! My DD has very long limbs and neck, is flexible and graceful. My DS has small head, long neck, lovely shoulders and "perfect feet". He also is flexible. If I combine my 2 DC together It will be a perfect ballet physique! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullContretemps Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I am blessed (or cursed as I usually get stuck in it...) with the world's deepest demi-plie. Many hands are OK I think, and narrow hips which are only appreciated in ballet not the real world! Everything else I would happily trade! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 My DD gets a lot of compliments regarding her feet, which are highly arched and flexible, but also very strong, and neat and petite. They are definitely inherited from me as they are just like mine (and my sister's and my late mum's come to that.) However, whilst they are seen as assets by DD, I find them a complete pain in the backside. On the rare occasion that I manage to locate nice, heeled shoes in my stupidly small size I still struggle to wear them, as so little of my foot is actually in contact with the shoe. I don't have any other remotely balletic features though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Just realised I have swayback legs too! All of it wasted, alas! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 To be honest I can't think of anything I have which is particularly balletic except a small head......which used to be on a long neck but this seems to have shrunk in recent years My partner on the other hand has the most beautiful feet with lovely arches and perfect ballet shaped legs. If you took a photograph of his legs and feet you might think he was a dancer. He used to do Athletics when younger. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I just remembered something. When I was about 9,10 and 11 and still at the stage of wanting to become a ballet dancer, I used to pray to God and ask him two things; that I wouldn`t grow too tall, and that I wouldn`t develop large breasts. Well God granted me my wishes ,on both fronts, just in time for when I was around 18 and wished I was 2 inches taller so I could do catwalk modelling and have larger breasts so I would look [according to me at the time anyway] more womanly. My motto? Be careful what you wish[or pray] for. You might just get it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I've got nice hands - that's about it! I inherited my beloved Granny's hands. They are wide and when I flex my fingers I get dimples where my knuckles should be - they look like babies' hands! :-D I do have hypermobile hips though and would have flat turnout (if I could dance)! I also have very high arches (under my feet). Dd has inherited these and my hypermobile hips but has fortunately developed the strength to hold the turnout. Fortunately she has beautiful slim hands with long graceful fingers so thank heavens she hasn't inherited my hands! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 It is fascinating what you inherit from one parent or the other and what seems to come from neither! Ive got my dads hands which luckily are not too big but my mums hands were lovely with longer tapering fingers .....much more balletic but I did inherit her small head etc. But she had much larger eyes than me ......something I was a bit jealous of!! When she was younger and had very dark hair she used to work at a place (I think was still connected to Viccars ) by the canal in West Byfleet I think it was called Westhall. ......but a lovely place to work. Anyway there was a man there who had apparently been a dancer for a while when he was younger and he always nicknamed my mum "Margot" because he thought she had a resemblance to Margot Fonteyn!! So she was known in the office there as Margot! I can see what he means .....just in certain photographs ....and she certainly had the figure of a dancer with a smaller frame than me and only 5ft 5ins tall!! But no one in their right mind would think to nickname me Margot!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 My eldest dd is a mini me so her dance teacher thought she "looks like dancer" so she had to be able to dance. Unfortunately she found ballet very hard although she was good at tap, modern and jazz. My youngest is built the same way but she is long waisted like her father. She was good at ballet but had my lack of ability with tap. Genes are fascinating. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 A long neck. Small head. Niceish arms. Guess my upper body could have been a dancer, shame about the bottom half! My upper body has always been better, ballet-wise, than my lower body, too. Not that that's saying much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi66 Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 Just realised I have swayback legs too! All of it wasted, alas! No, not wasted at all, Fiz. You are still dancing, remember? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 That is a matter of opinion after grand allegro last night, Mimi! Oh dear! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I have long hamstrings so I have no trouble getting my hands flat on the floor and rising to demi-pointe - like that pose of a NYC Ballet dancer on the front cover of the NYC Ballet Workout book. Wish I could say I look as good as her though! I have also been told I am flat turned out in the hips but my feet don't match this unfortunately. Aparently it's a good thing to have slopping shoulders for female dancers. But then there are leotard types I have to avoid because the straps would slide off during class if they are not 'in' enough. I have sway-backed knees as well, which I don't find easy to work with. However, one day in class some years ago, 2 girls in their teens, who were aiming to have a career in ballet/dance asked the teacher what sway-backed knees were. The teacher asked me to stand up and turn sideways to the class. It just so happened I was the only one in that class with sway-backed knees so I got to be the exhibit! The teacher said that you never see ballerinas not having these knees. The 2 girls who asked the original question then asked how it was possible to learn this particular 'skill' ('skill was what they called it) to have sway-backed legs! To reassure everyone who reads this forum, I should mention that the teacher replied that it was something you are born with, and not something you can get or learn. Your teacher may well be correct with regards to Russian companies like the Mariinsky, but fortunately for the non-swaybacked there are plenty of dancers in British companies without swayback knees. ;-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancer Sugar Plum Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Your teacher may well be correct with regards to Russian companies like the Mariinsky, but fortunately for the non-swaybacked there are plenty of dancers in British companies without swayback knees. ;-) Yes, it was just that teacher's opinion, but it has been the only time I have been picked out as having what is thought to be a ballerina-ish trait! I have heard other teachers say that having swaybacked knees give a nice line. I have also heard it said that good archy feet, which are obviously desirable/necessary for female dancers, usually come with swaybacked knees. Maybe that's why it's said by some people that it's preferable to have swaybacked knees as female dancer? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I expect so as I think it indicates a degree of hypermobility. I believe that excessively mobile knees and ankles are often more prone to injury in professionals though - the downside of swaybacks! Always nice to be picked out to demonstrate though. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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