#61

For the corps (ie the backup dancers)- they like to hire a whole team of 5 ft 5 dancers so they look the same

For the lead parts: Normally have been dancing in the corps first, must also be light enough to be picked up easily by the male dancers

I am 5ft9 and am a surprisingly heavy 11-12 stone naturally, so wouldn’t have a hope in hell.

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#62

That collection of interests sounds like a really stressful life.

#63

Music’s not bad usually, utterly ruined by the gits on stage.

#65

Actually had to go see the nutcracker suite on christmas eve with my mate. His 11 year old boy convincingly pretended to like it for the sake of my mate’s girlfriend but as soon as she left said something to the tune of “screw the ballet”. Good lad.

#67

have never been, would really like to go

#68

As I’ve already said in this thread, the Nutcracker is shite.

(Although BOO to the laddish “ballet is for girls” attitude).

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#69

Thanks for your support.

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#70

A male ballet dancer would trounce @Ruffers in a fight, for sure. They spend all day lifting other humans up with one arm and making it look effortless.

#71

More an observation of what happened than an ethical judgement, but yeah there probably is a gendered reaction to ballet isn’t there because #masculinitysofragile

#73

In the UK I think a lot of it comes down to class, too. Maybe less with girls, but certainly with boys.

#74

I don’t really feel the need to defend saying good lad tbh but he is 11, and I hate ballet, so

#77

Agreed. As @suapth has already said better than I have ever could, class, gender and race is a huge problem with ballet. It infuriates me that it costs squillions of pounds to learn, and that it is marketed solely at girls. There must be so many people out there that have the potential to be great dancers and will never discover it. Carlos Acosta was scouted dancing on the street and was then entered into Cuba’s amazing subsidized ballet school, and now he’s one of the world’s most famous dancers.

#78

I think it’s a class thing :wink:

#80

*shakes fist *

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#81

Ballet for my valentine?

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#83

You start off with your once a week session in the local hall for £3, but as soon as you hit puberty it’s like “you need to pay for 4 hours of lessons a day 6 days a week, 10 pairs of ballet shoes which last about 10 minutes and a load of costumes for shows and if you don’t want to do that, you’re out”. So a lot of people, like me, quit. Both because their parents can’t/won’t pay for it, and because they don’t want to devote every waking minute to ballet.

#84

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#85

xylo, when did you start teaching ballet? I had no idea that you had this skill.

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#86

Ballet is not a cheap hobby. I’ve spent several hundred pounds a semester on classes, plus shoes, tights, leotards etc. In addition to private lessons, costumes, competition entry fees etc when I was younger. Me and my parents have easily spent thousands and thousands on dance stuff since I was little

#87

Have you not seen Billy Elliot? Dead cheap m8