Do you feel that?
A little tugging sensation in your heart?
A wish, a yearning, that things had been different.
On some level, you always secretly fantasized about being a ballerina. But it just didn’t happen.
There wasn’t enough money for dance classes. Or your parents thought dancing was a waste of time. Or worst of all, you started classes but had one of those awful teachers who said you were too big, too clumsy, too wrong. Maybe you didn’t really think about it when you were younger, and by the time you realized you wanted to, it seemed like it was too late.
And so you didn’t do it.
You just went on with your life, doing other things.
But it was still there. This longing for what could have been.
But it’s too late now, isn’t it? You’re all grown up, and it’s ridiculous to think that you could be a ballet dancer now, at your age? Plus, you have responsibilities, and other interests. And if you want to be a ballet dancer, doesn’t that have to be the only thing you do with your life?
But does it have to be all or nothing?
Sure, it’s only a very select few who have the right body, the right training, and the right opportunities to become a professional ballet dancer.
But consider this.
It’s not the destination that matters. It’s the journey.
And whether you ever have the chance of becoming a prima ballerina is not the point. The point is, do you want to give it a go? Do you want to know what it’s like to feel the growing sense of control over your limbs, as you learn to move with incredible grace and elegance, as you become absorbed in the music and discover laser sharp focus as you move through this moving meditation.
You don’t have to be a full time dancer, or even a professional dancer, to make ballet a part of your life.
It’s never to late to find an intro to ballet, and you can start at any age, whether your 20 or 70 or anywhere in between. And you don’t need to have a perfect dancer’s body. No matter what your body shape, you can learn ballet and find it fulfilling and rewarding. Some of the most inspiring dancers are those who have overcome the odds and discovered a way to dance that fits with the body they were born with.
Perhaps you’ve been toying with the idea for a while.
Considering joining a ballet class. But you just don’t ever get around to it. There are always other priorities, other responsibilities and obligations, other things you need to pay for. You could go on like that forever, you know. Thinking ‘one day ….’ But that day won’t ever come unless you make sure it does.
There is no time like the present.
So why not take that leap and start? Don’t just dream about it. Do it. Find a class today that caters for adult beginners. You’ll never know how much joy it can bring to your life until you give it a go.
by Jo McDonald, published 2018