# Classical ballet for adult beginners



## KayC (Sep 13, 2010)

Does anybody practice classical ballet?  I used to learn how to dance, uh...about 30 years ago!

I was looking at the local ballet school's website and found that a new class for adult beginners is starting this week.

No need to wear ballet shoes, can be done bare foot, so I suppose this class has ordinary exercise element, not simply ballet.

My body still remembers some of the ballet moves, and I love to do it again, but at the same time I'm scared of joining a new class!

Have you ever tried this kind of class??

Kay


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## Northerner (Sep 13, 2010)

I love ballet, but have never danced. The closest I have come is attending Tai Chi classes, which I really enjoyed until I broke my leg (not during Tai Chi!). I think you should definitely give it a try, or maybe just ask to watch a class first to see if it is for you. I would imagine that the exercises and balance will be very beneficial and hopefully enjoyable too!

If you want to read a book about ballet and diabetes, I'd thoroughly recommend The Sugarless Plum by Zippora Karz. I wrote a review of the book here: http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=7318


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## SacredHeart (Sep 13, 2010)

Never done ballet as an adult, although I would love to. I could do it when I start at uni again, but I've got to just stick to my ballroom and latin, otherwise I'll just overload. Hate that I'm having to stick to just one society! 

Let us know how it goes!


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## Copepod (Sep 13, 2010)

KayC - Sounds great - if ballet's your thing, then can't think of any reason not to go for it! 
SacredHeart - surely you could have 2 societies / 2 nights out a week?!? Even when I did my BSc (lots more lab times & writing up than arts degrees at the same uni) and working 2 jobs, I managed 2 clubs / societies (none dancing, sorry) in each year - one stayed the same each year, with others changing year by year.


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## SacredHeart (Sep 13, 2010)

No, not really, sadly. DanceSport takes up Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. I work full time, and I have other commitments as well, which take up other evenings, so with rehearsal times for team competitions, I don't really have time for another. I wish I did, but the amount of reading that's involved with this MA, and it also being a really busy time at work (Autumn season, crazy - also end up working lots of weekends as well!), and starting on the pump, it's a bit too much for me to handle, sadly.


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## KayC (Sep 14, 2010)

Thank you all,


Northerner said:


> maybe just ask to watch a class first to see if it is for you.


Northerner, it's a good idea.  I'll ask if I can be an observer for the first class.  That's a start!  Regarding the book, I've already checked it on your blog. (Hope you don't think I'm a stalker!) It's a hardback + expensive, so I've put it on my list of books which I will ask my local library for.



SacredHeart said:


> I've got to just stick to my ballroom and latin, .....


SacredHeart, I'm interested in ballroom dancing as well, I asked my hub if we can do it together.  He flatly refused it!  He doesn't think dancing is a MANLY thing to do!  How wrong he is.  The move of ballroom/latin is prob a lot quicker than ballet for beginners. (And with ballet, I sort of know what will come next) So maybe it's not for me now.



Copepod said:


> KayC - Sounds great - if ballet's your thing, then can't think of any reason not to go for it!


Copepod, thank you for encouragement.  I don't think the age is a barrier to anything, but having a long blank makes me feel less confident...

Kay


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## SacredHeart (Sep 14, 2010)

Sorry, but ballroom and latin not being manly is SO funny! It's a real workout, and the footwork is faster than anything you'd do in football, for example. Try telling him the story of the tango, he might come around!


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## Northerner (Sep 14, 2010)

SacredHeart said:


> Sorry, but ballroom and latin not being manly is SO funny! It's a real workout, and the footwork is faster than anything you'd do in football, for example. Try telling him the story of the tango, he might come around!



People say that about ballet too. A friend once told me a tale about when he was drinking in a pub near where a ballet school rehearsed. One of the male dancers came in and another man made a comment to the effect that ballet was for girls. The dancer took hold of him under the arms and lifted him effortlessly into the air and sat him on the bar, and that shut him up! Most trained dancers are like Olympic athletes or gymnasts in their strength and suppleness - they have to be in order to make it look effortless lifting an eight stone woman above their heads.


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## SacredHeart (Sep 14, 2010)

Absolutely! I have the upmost respect for male dancers. I have a friend who is a dance instructor, who does the most amazing dance and physical theatre you'll ever see. That guy is STRONG! Also I'd swear he was no more than 30, and I if I remember correctly, he's closer to 60 - the guy just doesn't age, he's like a Tolkien elf!


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## Copepod (Sep 14, 2010)

I think that lifting a woman ballet dancer above your head is fairly advanced ballet (as well as requiring strength and grace)... 
Personally, I find ceidhl dancing (the only type I ever do, usually at weddings etc) needs more adjustment of insulin than many other activities - and wedding food is some of the most difficult to estimate, as timings are so haphazard; buffets make life so much easier!


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