How to start ballet when you're in your late teens and 20s
Hey everyone, I started ballet at the age of 22 so I wanted to make a how to start ballet post for people who didn't start doing ballet when they're younger.
My story: I wanted to do ballet since I was a child and had a poor upbringing so any social activity that required constant money was out of consideration. My passion for ballet ignited when I started watching ballet shows regularly and I wanted to try it. I first started on Ballet for Absolute Beginner series by Ballet Misfit and I did ballet with the help of it for 6 months. Then I graduated from college and got into a real ballet class for adult beginners after finding a job and getting my financial freedom. So I have been doing ballet for 2 years now consistently.
What to expect:
Passion and determination: you're an adult beginner in a dance that requires perfectionism. You'll feel like a duck during the first months, even the the first year until you get the hang of it. You need to enjoy the process and love doing ballet to survive the first months. Ballet is not a gate for slimming down or looking aesthetic ™ it's a near God damn sport and you need patience to get better at it.
Slow progress of flexibility: you're going to get flexible in time but you'll probably won't be able to do splits or an attitude in a month if you haven't been able to do them before. Flexibility is a slow process and it requires consistent effort. If you force yourself to get flexible immediately during the first months you'll sprain yourself and your progress will be even slower.
Muscle gains: doing ballet makes you gain serious muscles and you need to gain serious muscles to do ballet. You'll need core strength for that balances and calf strength for relevés. I recommend consistent practice targeting the leg and core muscles to be able to hold the balances longer.
Vocabulary: First thing first, you'll need to learn the names of the poses because it's a universal language in ballet. It's French and it's chic but learning the names of the poses is not that hard. You'll get the hang of it by time.
Online learning: Ballet Beginner series by Ballet Misfit is great to begin if you just like doing ballet don't have any ambitions to be dancer, be on Pointe or do the turns. However, it has some cons because you're most likely learn the poses wrong because there's no ballet teacher to fix your stance.
Finding a class: it's better tho find a class if you have the ambition to learn ballet. The most important thing is your teacher. You do not want a perfectionist Russian Ballet teacher when you're an adult learner. You'll need someone who is kind and patient. Also finding a class that is near you is a huge con.
Proper gear: it's everywhere and it's expensive. You can do ballet with usual tights and socks or proper Ballet clothes. The difference is that having proper Ballet shoes etc will give you more motivation to continue. The con is that it's expensive.
Caution: I am reminding again, Ballet is not an inherently pro-*na dance it's a damn near sport and an amazing dance form. Get your treatments if you have any Ed history.
Consistent practice: as always, practice makes perfect. Make sure to practice what you've learned in the class at home if you have time.
So this is all there's to expect as a adult ballet beginner. You can add anything if you're a pro or you have came across something else, I'm open to feedback.
Make sure to enjoy the process and don't hurt yourself. Have fun 💕🩰
