Ballet Dancers - Choosing Ballet Over Other Hobbies

by Sky
(San Diego, California USA)

Ballet Dancers - Choosing Ballet Over Other Hobbies

Dear Odette,
I love ballet but I already dedicated myself to soccer and rowing. I only did ballet lessons once when I was 6-7 years old but, I did dance for 5 years. However, I quit ballet and continued hip hop then. I'm 13 now and I really want to start dancing again. Would I be able to start ballet again even though I've only had about a year and a half of lessons? I sure hope so, I always practice what I remember and see on television every now and then. Could I do dance and my sports, or would I have to choose between ballet and soccer?

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Reply by Odette
To:- Ballet Dancers - Choosing Ballet Over Other Hobbies

Hello,
Thank you for your message it is great to hear from you. If you really want to start ballet again, then I would ask yourself a few more questions then reflect on whether it is possible. Do you parents support you starting ballet again? Will you have time to do ballet as well as your other sports? If you had to choose to stop one, which would it be?

It is great having lots of hobbies to keep your interests up and to keep you busy. As soon as you start to take one more seriously though, you may see the others start to decrease. My main hobbies were gymnastics and all kinds of dance when I was younger. I soon started to get more serious in ballet, which meant I had to choose between my hobbies to prioritize ballet and take more regular lessons. I had to stop gym and decrease my dance classes in tap and jazz, until I went to a vocational dance school at aged 11 where my main focus was just ballet. I studied academics too, but our timetable was closely worked about our ballet training.

I suppose it depends for you how serious you are in your hopes for ballet. Do you wish to do is as a hobby? Or is there a part of you that strives to become a professional? Each are very different and need entirely different approaches to whether you are able to keep up your other sports or not.

Take a look around your area and see if there are any dance schools nearby that you could study at. Then, have a think and reflect on what you want most,and have a talk with your family too.

Best wishes,
Odette