I want to be a ballerina

You know how all little girls want to be princesses? Not me. I wanted to be a ballerina. I loved the shoes. I still want a pair of ballet shoes - real ballet shoes, the kind you lace up your leg and then stand on your toes to dance in. A bright red pair would be awesome. I've always had this love for ballet. Ever since I was a small child I've looked forward to Christmas so I could go see the Nutcracker. I've probably seen 20 different versions. Sadly, when I was growing up, ballet classes weren't offered. If you wanted to take dance, you took tap or jazz. So, instead, I took art lessons. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVED taking art, and I wouldn't change that for the world. It's just, every now and then, I really regret not being able to take ballet too. Ballet dancers have such a muscularly graceful body without looking like a body builder. They are lean, and beautiful in their movements - and have such poise!

Anyway, I recently found an adult ballet class in the town where I work. I'm seriously contemplating joining this summer. I would join now, but it's on Monday nights and I currently have graduate classes on Monday nights so that won't work. Now, I don't have any desires to be a professional ballet dancer, there's no way at my age that that's even possible. The absolute LATEST you could start taking ballet classes to be able to build the skill and strength to professionally dance is 12. By 18, if you're not signed to a company, your career is pretty much over before it starts. Professional dancers then retire at the latest by around 30. So, starting ballet at 23 is not going to lead to a professional career - it's just not possible. However, I do want to dance for me. I want to build the strength for me and develop that lean dancers body. My utmost aspiration would be able to build my way up to be able to do ballet on pointe - the type of ballet that you immediately think of when you think of a ballerina - on the tip of you toes.

A few years ago, in one of my strong yearning moods to be a ballerina, I purchased a ballet workout dvd from the New York City Ballet Company. I LOVE IT. I get it out any time I'm really missing ballet. It not only is an intense workout for strength and flexibility, it helps me remember that ballet is not as easy as they make it look. I am by no means coordinated enough to be a professional dancer, and, my feet are pretty flat - a curse in the ballet world. However, doing the dvd makes me feel like I'm in a ballet class - like I'm working my way there. So, until I work up the courage to take the adult class - that will probably be filled with 12yr olds.... I'll continue my dvd.