Ballerinas Get Real: It's Not All Sugarplums and Swan Lakes
20th February, 2008 – It’s not always diamonds and pearls, darling, especially for the legions of girls (and, okay, a handful of blokes) dreaming of pirouetting into their future. You’ve got to love ballet for its beautiful art, its challenging technical demands, and the fact it's basically just wearing a gorgeous sparkly dress to get exercise – but the truth, as I discovered on a recent, albeit disastrous, visit to a ballet class, is that ballet is **so much more** than a sparkly, dreamy fantasy.
First off, let’s address the elephant (or, in this case, a tutu-clad elephant) in the room: the **tutus.** Think white and pink, right? Classic! I admit, as a self-professed ballerina with more tutus in my closet than pairs of shoes, I still do love a good pink one. It’s so effortlessly elegant and instantly conveys the magic of ballet. However, it turns out that in actual ballet classes, it’s **not always all pink and fluffy.** No, for a real ballerina, practicality wins out. For a dancer, comfort comes first and that’s often a black leotard paired with the trusty black (sometimes navy blue) ballet skirt that can withstand every plié and leap.
Speaking of leotards and skirts, those things, my dear, they're **tight.** Tight enough to make you seriously reconsider your post-class dinner plans (the answer is definitely more salads!). And I've never experienced a stretch more awkward and revealing than that leotard and skort pairing! (Don't judge a dancer on her sartorial choices; those tiny uniforms allow the instructors to keep a close eye on our muscles as we perform our grand jeté’s!)
Then there’s the ballet shoe situation. Those pointe shoes, my darling, those are truly a pain. They may look elegant in a display cabinet, but trying to squeeze your feet into those rigid leather slippers, often accompanied by the agonizing “crack” of a new shoe, will leave you questioning your dedication to the art form. And the daily torture of trying to seam them and break them in just to dance for another week? That’s not something you see advertised in the ballet ads.
And speaking of ballet ads, you’re probably thinking of those stunningly lit scenes, with ballerinas leaping gracefully across the stage, effortlessly flowing into their arabesques. And they **do** look effortlessly graceful! The thing is, dear, **it’s an illusion**. Those “effortless” moves take years of dedication, pain, sweat and maybe a little bit of whimpering, but most importantly, they take years of practicing until it **looks** effortless.
And that's exactly what makes ballet such an amazing art form – a powerful blend of grace and physical prowess. And honestly, don’t we all love a bit of grit with our glitter?
So remember, next time you catch a ballerina gracefully performing, consider that there is effort and pain, but also pure joy behind each of those pirouettes. It’s like wearing that pink tutu you secretly covet, but instead of a ballet class, it’s in your daily life – gracefully embracing all the little challenges and coming out stronger on the other side. That, darling, is ballet at its finest!
Now that’s what I call “dancing with the stars!”