When I tell someone I do ballet, I often get a response along the lines of how they used to do ballet too, but stopped when they were four years old. Many people say it’s because it got too hard or they didn’t have the time. 

I started ballet when I was 12 years old. I instantly knew that ballet was always going to be a part of my life after my first class. There was just something about it that kept drawing me back to class. 

As time went on and I got older, the fun started to fade and it has turned into something that I am constantly stressed about. I am constantly stressed to the point where it has become hard for me to be excited for class.

I began to notice that instead of being something I would look forward to, ballet turned into something that made me anxious. Once class has ended, I am instantly relieved and can finally have time to relax on the drive home. But then the stress kicks back in while doing homework late into the night.

Ballet demands a lot from people. To unknowing eyes, ballet is purely elegant. But this art comes with battle scars. It leaves no time for a life other than school and ballet. 

I wouldn’t commit to this schedule if I didn’t love ballet so much. People always ask me why I do ballet, but for some reason it’s the hardest question to answer.

Something that I always tell myself when I don’t get enough sleep is “sleep is overrated.” Sleep really is underrated, especially for athletes. Class ends at 9 p.m. and I don’t get home until between 9:30-10 p.m. I have to get all my homework done, study, and just hope I won’t be too tired before dinner. But then again, us ballet dancers aren’t too worried about eating dinner. 

The day in the life of a ballet dancer looks like going to school and then afterwards rushing to get to our first class on time, then doing the variety of other classes prepared for the rest of the day. We start with a normal ballet class then go into pointe, pas de deux, and finally a stretch class. This can go on for about four to five hours each day. At that point, I haven’t been home in about 12-13 hours and it’s exhausting.

Ballet makes me feel all sorts of emotions, ranging from happy to sad or proud to doubtful. In a span of just two seconds, something might change and make you rethink your emotions. You might get complimented and then yelled at during the same time period and it gets hard to recognize the positive things about yourself.

However, something about it keeps drawing me back. I have made so many memories through ballet and had so many learning experiences that I am very grateful to have. 

If I had to highlight just some of the down sides to ballet, I would say that it requires so much time that I can’t really do anything else and it often gets hard to keep looking at oneself in the mirror each day in tights and a leotard.

It gets hard because somehow I am expected to get all of my homework done and study before it is time to wake up in the morning. 

Ballet is something I am very devoted to, but lately, it has been taking over my thoughts. If you forget one thing, there are going to be consequences in the ballet classes. The teacher will yell, lecture, or ignore you. 

From the teacher’s perspective when you mess up, it just shows that “your brain isn’t in the room” or “you’re not paying attention” so you always have to be as devoted and focused as you possibly can to show respect to your teacher. 

But in the end, it is all worth it because I just have to remind myself that they are trying to get us ready for the professional ballet world, which is very intense. Our teachers want the best for us and are trying to help get us to where we want to be. 

Without my teachers, I don’t know where I would be and I am beyond grateful, but sometimes you get treated like you aren’t a person that can feel pain or have normal human feelings. That part tends to get ignored in the ballet world.