Has Anyone Here Started Ballet A Little Late? Please Answer!

Question

Has anyone here started ballet late? Like 12 and up? How old were you when you started? Did it take longer for you to gain the flexibilty the other girls (who had taken ballet pratically their whole lives) had? Or the same amount of time? What did you do about starting ballet late? I mean, did you take extra classes or do nothing or what? What are your experiences with starting late? BTW, I understand that nobody can really start late, I'm just using the term for the purpose of this question. Thanks! =)

Answer 1

I started ballet when i was 14 and the next year when i was 15 i started pointe. The girls in my class are alittle bit more flexible than me...but they do competition and dance pretty much everyday of the week. When i first started i took private lessons because i wanted to do pointe. Then last year i took a begginer class and a more advanced class. This year i will be in my studios elite competition ballet class. It is harder to start late, but its not like you cant be as good as the girls who have done it longer. All you need to do is work hard. The first year i took one private class which was one hour. The next year I had an hour of begginer ballet...and hour of advanced ballet and 1/2 hr of pointe. This summer i took 1 1/2 hr ballet class. And this year i will be in the advanced ballet and it is 1 1/2 hrs and then pointe is after it and it is 1/2 hr. My private class made the most of a difference because it really got me caught up with the other girls. And i think that my class this year will also help me out alot because i will be with some older girls that have taken ballet longer..and i will be able to learn from them. I think taking more than one class will be good because you will learn more and you will improve faster. You just need to work hard and have the dedication. Ballet is great and i love it!! Good Luckk!! ♥

Answer 2

Hey :)

I started ballet when I was 13, I had taken it for a year when I was 4 and a year again when I was 7.. but I don't count them because when i started at 13 I forgot everything.. I got en pointe after a year.. I do 2 ballet classes a week and a jazz class and another class where we do all different styles such as contemporary/hip hop/slow modern.. etc.

I stretched at home for about 2 weeks.. (stretching a few hours a day everyday) and soon I was as flexible as everyone else.. Taking more than one class a week will definately help you.. and if you really want to catch up practice whenever you have the chance.. also maybe private lessons would help you. Gooood Luck :)

Answer 3

i took it wen i wuz 11 n i had no problem

Answer 4

My Niece started Ballet at 12 and at 15 was already up on her toes and she is now 16 and is spending the summer in NY at the school for performing arts

she was chosen over all the other girls in her group and some of them have been dancing as long as they have been walking

do what you like you will probably be great

Answer 5

I took a tap and ballet class in my late 20's.  A bunch of us girls who had never been to dance classes decided it would be fun to do.  And it was.  You can find classes for all age groups and levels.  If you work hard at it, you can get pretty good.  Maybe not professional level, but you will get your flexibility and the moves down.  I found starting late in life (really late for me) made it more fun...but I did it as more of a hobby.  IF you are doing this and you want to be a serious dancer, then take extra classes and practice as much as possible, and you can excel at it.  

Answer 6

Well..I started ballet at age 6, but I have known many dancers who have started after the age of 12 and have gotten the chance to talk with them and see how they perform certain steps.

It takes time for everyone to gain flexibility..although there are a few dancers who are naturally flexible. For example, when I was 6 up until the age of about 11 (I'm 17 now) I was super flexible. That's just because I was young and hadn't really reached my growth spurt or anything just yet. But as I started to grow and mature I lost that flexibility and now I have to work just as hard as the newcoming dancers my age as far as flexibility.

You don't need to take extra classes if you start at a later age than some dancers. But if you want to reach the level they are at, then you might want to consider it. There are classes specially designed for beginning teens and adults that you can take. At our studio, we have these classes 2 times per week. But they also have the choice of coming to a third class if they would like to.

The dancers I have known who have started in their teens and even in their adult years have had great experiences. It's hard at first as it is for anyone who begins no matter what the age, but after the first few weeks it is super fun and something they find that they love to do!

Oh and classes are usually an hour and a half for the beginners. Actually...it's the same length for pointe dancers too at our studio. But that completely varies depending on which school you choose to go to.

And yes...I would definitely recommend taking more than one class per week. Even 2 should be plenty. : )

Good luck! Hope you found at least something helpful in my answer. : )