Ballet will always have a special place in my heart, because thats what started my love of dance at the age of 4. Without ballet, I wouldn't have the foundation I have now for all styles of dance. It helps with posture, flexibility, awareness of my body and space around me, and even my presence.
Although I have really come to dislike pretentious ballet girls who make it clear to everybody about who they are, and sometimes try to make it look like they are better than everyone else. I think ballet rooms are one of the most unhealthy environments especially for young girls. Imagine a room filled with mirrors reflecting a line of skinny girls surrounding you, while the teacher shouts at you to, "keep your stomaches in girls!". Everyone is bound to feel insecure about themselves at one point in that horrible room. The problem is, you just can't keep your eyes off the mirrors! Seeing my legs in relation to everyone else's almost became a ritual and an addiction to me, and what did I get out of that? About 5% happiness if I had lost a few centimeters around the middle, and 95% hatred of my body. So not a healthy environment. I'm quite content on keeping my distance from that ballet room.
On a happier note, I will never ever forget how proud I would feel after stepping out of a ballet class. The feeling after the moment you perfect a triple pirouette, or get the timing right on an unseen exercise is unparalleled. Thats when you feel that all the work and effort you have expended has paid off. My teacher once said that you need to repeat a specific step at least one hundred times to make it worthwhile to show to people. In short, it takes so much work, so much practice and undying determination to love and excel in ballet, and I admire all those people who do it as a career, I have so much respect.
