May 19, 20204 min read

6 Reasons To Begin Ballet as an Adult

Has it always been your dream since you were a little girl to be a ballerina? But you stopped ballet long ago, or you just never had ballet lessons as a kid and don’t dare to try it now. After all, you’re too old! You can’t possibly learn ballet as an adult…

YOU’RE WRONG!

Regardless of your age or abilities, ballet is for everyone, and it is never too late to start learning ballet as an adult. Before you come up with more excuses in your head or think you just couldn’t possibly embarrass yourself in front of everyone in ballet class, read through our top 6 reasons why you should never give up on that dream and start ballet as an adult!

You want to learn ballet! Unlike kids, whose parents might force them into a leotard and tights every week, or who just want to get a passing mark on the exam, as an adult you want to be there in class (and also, you paid for class with your own money)! The reason I love teaching adult ballet is the sheer passion, dedication and motivation I see from my adult students as a result of this. Learning ballet is without a doubt hard, and learning ballet at an older age is even harder. For whatever personal reasons you have for learning ballet as an adult, these factors resonate more deeply with you and in turn provide a stronger passion for learning, differently than a child’s. My adult students want to be in ballet class every week. They take the time out of their busy lives to come to the studio and pay for class with their own finances, which in turn makes me want to give them the best class in return. You are a quick learner. As an adult, your brain is cognitively developed and is more mature than a child’s. Thus, you can comprehend information better and learn ballet movements faster than a young adolescent. Even as a beginner in ballet class, adults can understand the technical explanations of how to do a step properly because you can draw on previous experiences of learning and relate them easier to new information. Adults also tend to ask more questions upon learning new things, which in turn helps you understand the new concepts on a deeper level! Combine this with your personal motivation to learn ballet, and you are likely to learn faster with more appreciation and gratitude. #WorkoutLikeADancer. There is an age-old debate about whether ballet is an art or a sport. To tell you the truth, it’s both. Ballet is a physically demanding artform that requires a lot of strength, endurance and flexibility from our bodies, all the while looking beautiful and effortless. If you’re looking for a full-body workout to exercise to tone and strengthen even the tiniest muscles in your body, then ballet is the workout for you. In addition, ballet also helps improve posture, body coordination, and overall health too! Even better, you get to dance to music (not like any other workout classes where music is only in the background) and express yourself and be creative! Ballet Keeps the Brain Active Too. Ballet is not only physically demanding with intricate technique requirements, it also stimulates your brain to always be active as well. Ballet is also a mental workout to always stay on your toes (pun) throughout class. When doing an exercise in class, you must always think about how you do a movement or step like a battement tendu (keeping correct posture, brushing through the foot, core engaged, etc, etc), staying on the beat of the music (remember, this is a dance class!), and you must also remember the steps of the combination! In open style non-syllabus ballet classes, like our Adult Ballet Classes here at TBA, the teacher will show the exercise combination, and then students are to do it right away with the music. You must be able to learn the choreography quickly, memorize it, and then translate choreography to your body to do it! In ballet class, it is important to learn the choreography fast in order to then focus on the quality of each step and doing the movements to the best of your ability. Step into the studio for a safe space. Are you stressed at work or at home? Kids driving you crazy? Working tons of hours? Feeling like you aren’t focusing on yourself anymore? Get out of the grind and into the studio. The studio is a safe space and ballet class is a chance to work on you. Treat ballet class as a chance to get away. In class, you won’t have time to think about what to cook for dinner tomorrow night or when to send out that important work email, because you will be focusing on perfecting your releves and remembering the combination! Even for just one hour a week, ballet class can help transport you away from your hectic life and give you that much needed time to reset. Ballet is for everyone. Ballet isn’t just for kids, or even teenagers and young, fit, working adults. You will find dancers of all ages and abilities in class ranging from senior citizens, working moms, former professional dancers and dance teachers, teenage beginners, and most importantly, you! Everyone knows ballet is very hard. Don’t worry or be discouraged if you don’t get a step on the first try. Remember, professional dancers who have been dancing for 20 or 30 years do the same steps every single day that you do. Whether you are a beginner in your first lesson or Mikhail Baryshnikov, in class, everybody always starts with plies at the barre.