Ballet Ballet Ballet Ballet and Leaving Home

Ballet is so weird.

Seriously.

One minute you're up, and the next minute you're down.

People might not like you.

You don't know why.

Maybe it's your body shape.

Maybe you're too Balanchine
(Does that exist?)

Maybe you're too Vaganova.

Maybe you're too Cecchetti.
(Yeah, because that's still popular.)

But the reality is,

Is that everyone's looking for something different.

Each choreographer,

Each teacher,

and every single member of the audience is looking for something different.

But I think that's what makes ballet so difficult.

You learn the same set of steps, but everyone learns how to do and present them differently.

That's why ballet dancers have to learn how to have such thick skin.

From such a young age, you're yelled at and pushed to your very maximum limit.  From such a young age, you have to learn how to grow up quickly and leave home for five or six weeks in the summer with no friends, no family, and no one to hold your hand when you're scared, or nervous, or sad.

Until eventually, you go away for good.

Not for college, or after high school.

During high school, when most teenagers still live at home with their parents, ballet dancers go away to year round programs at rough it on their own.

Although it may sound like fun and freedom, it's difficult.  Really difficult.

Starting over.

Making new friends.

Praying that teachers like you.

It's emotionally and physically straining.

But at the end of the day,

You just have to move on,

Push past it,

and Pray that the next day will be better.