aileen Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Again, this is a general comment. I think that as it is so incredibly difficult to become a classical dancer in a company, with possible rejection all along the way, it can be the case that the child and later young person can be so caught up in trying to 'make it' that s/he does not really appreciate what company life will be like. That is not a failing on his/her part. The reality is that you have to lead an incredibly disciplined life for years. You never really get a break. Even on holiday many dancers take class. You cannot eat or drink what you want. There is the ever present spectre of injuries and the issues of constant comparison and competition with your peers. You are entirely dependent on the whims of your current AD and choreographers and there is no real redress if you feel that you are being unfairly treated. You work unsocial hours and often have to work over Christmas, New Year and Easter and other Bank Holidays and have no choice whatsoever as to when you take your holidays. The pay for most dancers is poor or fairly poor compared to other highly trained and hard working professionals and promotion can be very difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrischris Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Again, this is a general comment. I think that as it is so incredibly difficult to become a classical dancer in a company, with possible rejection all along the way, it can be the case that the child and later young person can be so caught up in trying to 'make it' that s/he does not really appreciate what company life will be like. That is not a failing on his/her part. The reality is that you have to lead an incredibly disciplined life for years. You never really get a break. Even on holiday many dancers take class. You cannot eat or drink what you want. There is the ever present spectre of injuries and the issues of constant comparison and competition with your peers. You are entirely dependent on the whims of your current AD and choreographers and there is no real redress if you feel that you are being unfairly treated. You work unsocial hours and often have to work over Christmas, New Year and Easter and other Bank Holidays and have no choice whatsoever as to when you take your holidays. The pay for most dancers is poor or fairly poor compared to other highly trained and hard working professionals and promotion can be very difficult. I think that's a really key issue, and one people always shy away from addressing, in part because it's sometimes genuinely uncomfortable to talk about money but also because there is still that expectation sometimes that people should dance because they love it, and talking about the financial side of an art form degrades it (or whatever), but people need to eat, and pay the bills, and if you are sacrificing all the things you have to sacrifice to make it as a professional, and you are still earning less than someone doing a basic admin job in an office, even the most dedicated dancer is going to question their choices at some stage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Ballet is a demanding profession both physically and mentally and if you wake up one morning and ask yourself why you are doing it then you need to walk away from it. Jonathan Cope did and came back after two years in the outside world fully committed to dance. It can't be any fun,if, for example, you become a professional dancer because someone else has decided on that career for you.Talent is not enough. The world of ballet is not the only place where people have serious second thoughts about career choices.When I was a student there was a very high drop out rate among those who were reading law. It is pretty heavy going even if you want to be a lawyer but unbearable you are only studying it because your parents have made the career choice for you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I think there are certain points in any longish career when you wake up some mornings and ask why you are doing it!! Usually though on a balance you are reasonably happy most of the time so you don't just walk away. However if you were to find yourself not happy most of the time then it might mean taking a step away for a while or permanently as it may turn out. I'm sure this is the same for dancers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I imagine that the promotions might also affect the leavers - if they don't think they're moving up the company fast enough or if the types of promotions are sending messages that their particular contributions may not be the flavour of the month, that might factor into their decisions too. I hope Yuhui Choe isn't getting discouraged by the lack of promotion to Principal when so many people keep saying she's overdue for it. Hopefully one of these days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterankles Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 The lifestyle in different companies in different countries can be very different. And the feeling in a 'choreographer's company' different again to that in a repertory company. If a dancer is not promoted or 'liked' in one company that neither means that he/she is not a good dancer, nor that the profession is not for them - just that they need to seek the place where their dancing is appreciated, and where they can fulfil their ambitions.. "TIme out' for a ballet dancer is rarely feasible, although some with great facility can indulge in such. Three weeks holiday maximum should suffice to rest body and mind, and double check whether expressing themselves through dance is a necessity or a hardship. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdove Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Hear hear Janet.This is Claudia's decision and we should simply accept and respect it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Thank you Janet I totally agree. I am well aware of how difficult the climb is to a career but it is not for everyone. It will be great to see a new wave of dancers tackling the varied rep of the upcoming seasons. There is some incredible talent in there at every level and everyone knows what a strong foundation does for something so why not let the company have strong foundations in their ranks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Can I just voice I have nothing against Miss Choe and I find her very similar to Yoshida whom I loved to watch for technical neat schooling but I find them quite diminutive on stage. They don't excite me as an artist in the way others have. I can't put my finger on it, but perhaps this is an underlying reason for her lack of promotion. Just an opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 It's so subjective though, isn't it. I find I can't take my eyes off Yuhui Choe when she's onstage. She just exudes pure joy when dancing and for me that gives her such irresistible watchability. Horses for courses, I suppose! :-) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Absolutely! And I agree she does but I think I always look for the girl with the devil in her eye and lots of fire in her veins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayKwok Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 She had plenty of fire when she did Gamzatti! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Just a personal opinion! Another thing to add is that some dancers enjoy their soloist status as they get to do a lot more variety of roles incl principal ones and get more stage time. We don't know! Perhaps she is happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Re the comments about Robert Parker and Jonathan Cope giving up ballet briefly: they both seemed stronger for the break, Robert Parker saying that for the first time in his career his body had time to fully recover from all its injuries. Physical stress must be a real problem, possibly even greater than the emotional burnout that accompanies early promotion. I can't help wondering if all dancers should be allowed a gap year during their early years with a company instead of going straight from the intense competition of vocational school into the even more intense competition of a professional company. I know it's a short career but all the more reason then to enjoy it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterankles Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Not exactly possible for most! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterankles Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Gap year I mean - fully possible to enjoy career - without - and quite possible to miss the boat with gap year and never regain technique unless extraordinary facility. But then it might allow those who were chosen for physique rather then chose because they HAVE to dance, to realize they are much happier without. And it's true that those who HAVE to dance are most unlikely to even imagine they would like a gap year for more then five minutes a few times a year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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