Those Ballerina (Ballerino) Bits of My Body...

[Dancer Sugar Plum]

Always nice to be picked out to demonstrate though. :-)

 

This is very true for all dancers, whether they are adults or children. It's nice to get a confidence boost since ballet dancers have a habit of comparing ourselves negatively with other dancers.

[Legseleven]

DD has been told by several teachers and dancers that she has the 'ideal' petite (yet taller than average) physique for ballet with extremely long legs, short body, small head, long neck, arched feet, turnout etc. None of this matters in the long term as she doesn't want to dance professionally, although she loves her classes and wants to continue to dance. She tells people who comment on her facility for ballet that the most important thing for an aspiring professional ballet dancer is missing - the will and desire to succeed in such a demanding career, which would mean giving up many other pastimes she enjoys and does well.

 

She would therefore say that the most vital ballerina or ballerino bit of the body is the mind (although of course at least some of the desirable physical attributes would help!)

[toefondue]

I have a long neck and arms that are on the longer side. I also have a little bit of a naturally hypermobile back, but that's actually more of a drawback because my core isn't very stable. Sadly for me, my feet are not very flexible, and being so low profile, they look especially bad in certain models of flat shoes (not their fault, just how my feet are).

[Tango Dancer]

I have been told by my teacher I have good turnout (although I'm not sure I do as I struggle in 5th) and high arches.  I have well defined arms and long slender fingers though and my port de bras looks good.,  It's just a shame about the bit in between.  

[alison]

Welcome to the forum, toefondue

[Neverdancedjustamum]

DD has a lovely long neck and lovely arms. Very good Achilles too which is probably why every teacher comments on her jumps. However, feet aren’t “ballerina feet” and back is stiff. Physique overall doesn’t fit the ideal “ballerina body” of some countries and schools (although this is probably a statement that will spark a discussion all on its own).  Last year, by some miracle, she was invited to a few finals including to the school I can just assume most everyone wants to go to in the UK (but for which DD has never shown interest in although to be fair, I don’t think she ever wanted to go “full time”). In one of the finals, her first comment to me when she came out was that she doesn’t think she was given nearly as thorough a physio check as others. She just assumed there was something/some things glaringly “wrong” with her and so they just gave her a cursory check. She’s since seen at least a couple of other physios (for other reasons, none of which audition related) who specialise in dance who told me they can’t see why DD would have been apparently discounted so quickly. DD isn’t too bothered thankfully as she considers dance as simply a serious hobby she loves doing.

[NotadanceMa]

This is a lovely thread. 🩰💗

 

I have the feet that ballet dancers would die for 😁 high arch, high instep, perfect Demi-pointe and very lovely to look at. I am also hyper mobile.

Alas I am fat in the way that a grown up Renaissance cherub would be, so all is lost.

I also find classical ballet in its entirety the most boring dance genre in the world, so my beautiful feet would never be tempted to crush themselves inside a pointe shoe. (big gasp from the auditorium, I know, I know excommunication from the forum) I do love the music and certain variations if they are performed exquisitely, but I need a remote control for this and just get ants in my pants when I accompany my ballet loving teen in training to a performance; but accompany them I do. 

 

I am led to believe from assessments and physio that my teen has the perfect classical ballet body in all its proportions, with exquisite feet. (Haha) They are hyper mobile, but fortunately before ballet got serious as they experienced ankle and hip pain as a toddler, a wonderful paediatrician told me to make sure that we strengthened around all the joints. We did through swimming alongside ballet early on and physio. It was the paediatrician that pointed us toward ballet or gymnastics when child age 2. Child chose ballet because of the ‘beautiful music.’ I am very glad they did, and they are also very jealous of my feet!! 🦶 

[Neverdancedjustamum]

10 minutes ago, NotadanceMa said:

This is a lovely thread. 🩰💗

 

I have the feet that ballet dancers would die for 😁 high arch, high instep, perfect Demi-pointe and very lovely to look at. I am also hyper mobile.

Alas I am fat in the way that a grown up Renaissance cherub would be, so all is lost.

I also find classical ballet in its entirety the most boring dance genre in the world, so my beautiful feet would never be tempted to crush themselves inside a pointe shoe. (big gasp from the auditorium, I know, I know excommunication from the forum) I do love the music and certain variations if they are performed exquisitely, but I need a remote control for this and just get ants in my pants when I accompany my ballet loving teen in training to a performance; but accompany them I do. 

 

I am led to believe from assessments and physio that my teen has the perfect classical ballet body in all its proportions, with exquisite feet. (Haha) They are hyper mobile, but fortunately before ballet got serious as they experienced ankle and hip pain as a toddler, a wonderful paediatrician told me to make sure that we strengthened around all the joints. We did through swimming alongside ballet early on and physio. It was the paediatrician that pointed us toward ballet or gymnastics when child age 2. Child chose ballet because of the ‘beautiful music.’ I am very glad they did, and they are also very jealous of my feet!! 🦶 

Love this! I’m the same as you without the ballet feet and hyper mobility. In fact, I don’t think I have anything balletic about me. I only did ballet over two summers when I was a kid because my parents both worked full time and had nowhere to leave me or nothing to entertain me over the long summer holidays after the family vacation was over. I don’t remember anything from those two summers apart from taking part in shows at the end of it and getting to use hair gel for the first time to do my bun. It’s funny about feet, my teenage son has lovely ballet feet funnily enough but isn’t the least bit interested in dancing. I can’t even bribe him to accompany me to watching days or shows. Last time he did come with me to his sister’s watching day in ballet class as I had nowhere to leave him and he was still young, he complained he had a headache after! 

[NotadanceMa]

@Neverdancedjustamum ‘he was still young, he complained he had a headache after!’

I know this headache only too well.