I have a few questions for ballet dancers, and you do NOT have to answer all of the questions. Even if someone answered one, getting the smallest bit of insight into ballet dancers would be incredibly helpful.
I am writing a character (he's a man), and he grew up as an only child as his mom had him take ballet. I just had some questions about dancing as I never did ballet, so I just want some insight into how former ballet dancers still go about their daily lives after moving on.
Question 1: How is your posture as a ballet dancer who has danced for 10+ years? Do you have excellent posture, where even if you slouch for a few minutes, you get sore the rest of the day? Or maybe you still slouch, but your posture isn't affected by it. Or maybe you can be lazy on some days, but your body is affected on other days?
Question 2: Let's say you stopped after 11 years, do you still do some stuff around the house that you did when you were still dancing? Like, maybe you move your feet a specific way when you are turning a tight corner? Or do you sway your body differently when you are listening to music? Or maybe, when you bend down to pick something up, you put your feet in a specific position, like how dancers always go into positions 1-5.
Question 3: Do you have muscle/leg issues later in life? Maybe during the winter, your leg locks sometimes when out in the cold. Or you have to wear a knee brace, depending on the weather. Do you get tendonitis in your leg(s) later on after the repetitive use of them and then the sudden stop?
Question 4: If you transitioned to another activity, such as yoga, to keep your body moving and ensure you're still getting the proper movement your body needs, is it difficult to do certain things (in yoga), or is it an "easy" transition?
Question 5: I know that, as someone who has been playing the violin for 11 years, I can remember specific pieces from muscle memory, even if I'm just fiddling around on the instrument. For dancers, if you guys move a certain way or turn or position your feet a specific way after so many years of stopping, does your body sometimes take over a bit and do the steps for a previous performance, or do you just remember it as your body doesn't move for you?
This is all I can think of for questions right now, but if anybody who has done ballet could answer these questions for me, that help a tremendous amount!
Thank you for reading! <3